Death knell for PN motions to repeal tax amnesty, court sentence removal laws

Parliament voted against two motions filed by the Nationalist Party to repeal legal notices on tax exemption and the removal of court sentences.

The House had already voted against the motion concerning the removal of court sentences from the government database. However, the Nationalist Party requested a vote by division, and subsequently lost the vote on Wednesday evening.

PN MPs Karol Aquilina and Therese Comodini Cachia presented the motion to repeal Legal Notice 456 concerning the online publication of court judgements. It was handed to parliament last December.

This legal notice sparked concern from numerous media houses and NGOs who penned a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela warning that the legislation may impinge on fundamental human rights.

READ ALSO: Parliament shoots down PN motion to repeal ‘right to be forgotten’ court rules

The second motion concerned a legal notice that cancels out tax arrears against property tax owed. Through Legal Notice 419 of 2021, the Ministry of Finance published new taxation rules that will allow defaulting taxpayers to not pay any tax due on the transfer of property purchased before March 2021, against their arrears.

PN MPs Mario de Marco, Karol Aquilina, Jason Azzopardi, and Robert Cutajar presented the motion on 17 November.

Economic lobby groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Malta Developers Association had said that the legal notice was unfair and claimed that government was creating an unlevel playing field.

READ ALSO: PN will file motion against ‘immoral’ tax amnesty legal notice