BCA to launch fund to compensate victims of construction damages

From his end, Minister for the Implementation of the Electoral Programme, Omar Farrugia announced that Cabinet approved a legal notice to reduce stamp duty on the transfer of business between family members from 5% to 1.5%.

Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting saw the intervention of a number of speakers. Rachel Decelis, a scientist and chartered environmentalist, spoke about the increasingly harsh summers Malta is experiencing and the massive strain being placed on the country’s energy infrastructure. 

Decelis stressed that preparations need to be made now before next summer. She noted that Malta’s uniform energy subsidies are leading to waste, which, along with a growing resident and tourist population, continue to strain the country’s infrastructure.

Cabinet also heard from engineer Christopher Micallef who spoke about sustainable transport and praised the country’s progress in utilising the sea as a mode of transport. 

On Malta’s elusive metro project, Micallef insisted that such a project cannot solve the traffic problem without curbing car use and changing car-centred infrastructure. 

From his end, Josef Azzopardi, an assistant head at a school, spoke about the need for trade schools to be reopened. He praised the education minister’s proposal for a discussion on reopening trade schools.

Azzopardi claimed that the current educational system has much room for improvement, especially for children who want to pursue vocational careers. Azzopardi also questioned whether it was time to open the Alternative Learning Programme to younger students.