[WATCH] PN will afford greater protection to ODZ land: ‘We have to learn from our mistakes’

A Nationalist government will not reverse building rights obtained when development boundaries were extended in 2006, Bernard Grech said on Monday.

However, he said any similar decision in the future would have to be cleared by a two-thirds majority in parliament.

He said many people rightfully benefitted from the 2006 process, which saw tracts of ODZ areas entering the development boundaries but admitted things could have been done better.

“We have to learn from our mistakes,” he said on Monday when asked whether the PN ODZ two-thirds proposal was an admission that the 2006 process was a mistake.

He added that the ODZ land in Żonqor that was given to Sadeen for the development of a university in 2015 was not part of the 2006 schemes and yet the Labour government still went ahead with a simple majority in parliament. “We will avoid such situations. I will not be able as prime minister to decide behind everyone’s back to award land in ODZ to a businessman.”

A PN government will also ensure that 50,000sq.m of public land will be added to ODZ areas every year.

Surveys

At the start of the second week of the electoral campaign, Grech was asked about the surveys published on Sunday. A MaltaToday survey put the PN at a disadvantage of 23,000 votes with a turnout at around 84%, while two other surveys published in it-Torċa and The Sunday Times of Malta, put the PN at a disadvantage ranging from 41,000 votes to 44,000.

“The MaltaToday survey better reflects what we are feeling on the ground but I want us to win based on the strength of our work and not because of the faults of others and this is why we have to continue working to convince people,” Grech said.
He also accused government of buying people’s votes, citing an example of someone who was promised a bathroom. He said people also have a duty to look at the country’s needs, insisting the election was an opportunity to make change happen.

ESG-compliant companies get 15% tax

Grech cast a spotlight on several proposals laid down in the PN manifesto during a press conference at PN headquarters on Monday.
He said companies that are compliant with specific environmental, social and good governance criteria will benefit from a tax rate of 15% on the first €500,000 in profits that are reinvested in the business.

Several PN incentives are tied to the ESG criteria but the manifesto does not outline what these will be and states they will have to be discussed with the social partners.

When asked why the criteria were not outlined in the manifesto, Grech said the most important thing was the new direction the PN was proposing.

“We can always explain more but we are giving direction and want everyone to play their part, which is why we intend incentivising good behaviour,” he said.

Another proposal is to give a cash grant of €10,000 spread over five years to people who scrap their car and commit to not using a private vehicle within the period.

He said this will incentivise people to use alternative modes of transport and contribute to cleaner air.

Grech said that unemployed people will receive the equivalent of the minimum wage in unemployment benefits for the first 12 months to encourage them to get trained.