Proposals by Malta Chamber of SMEs to help businesses after COVID

Jan 31 2022

The Malta Chamber of SMEs proposed a VAT reduction from the current 18% to 15.5% in order to help small businesses recover from the impact of the pandemic. COVID-19’s impact meant increases in costs, lower sales and less spending power. The reduction of VAT was proposed to minimise the impact of the current inflation whilst also ensure that the government does not lose money.

The Chamber spoke about the impacts small businesses suffered due to the pandemic in 2021. This was done during the Business Performance Survey Results conference on Monday, with the survey being conducted online with a turnout of 250 respondents. 25% of the respondents were part of the Retail, Import, Distribution and Wholesale sector. Sales levels, followed by cash flow, were some of the financial constraints which were of particular concern for small business. There was also a definite element of uncertainty due to COVID and the upcoming election.

The majority of respondents agreed that the pandemic is something which they must live with and that restrictions should be eased. This includes quarantine restrictions. Several businesses claimed to have suffered a hindrance in performance due to quarantine rules, as 13% reported that 30% or more of their employees had to undergo quarantine. The 2021 turnover compared to the year before showed an increase due to the public having accepted the pandemic as it is, improving consumer confidence. However, many other businesses whose turnover decreased, said it was worse than 2020.

Energy costs were also another reason which affected turnover, where despite the Maltese government subsidising these costs in Malta, the impact of inflation was still felt in other countries. This resulting in a decrease in spending power. Travel restrictions, low tourism and unfair or increased competition also affected the turnover. Businesses showed that 39% made less profit than 2020, with 32% remaining the same, and only 29% making more profit. 38% of respondents also remained neutral on whether they were satisfied with overall business sales in the first weeks of 2022.

20% and 15% responded being dissatisfied and very dissatisfied. Despite this, an overwhelming 44% of respondents that 2022 will have better results than 2021. When asked about challenges, 16% of respondents are concerned with the general increasing costs and 14% expect COVID-19 recovery challenges. 10% of respondents are worried about the uncertainty which the general election brings about.

Among proposals was the removal of SISA/Excise Tax which refers to the hidden tax aside from VAT which is found in every-day consumer goods such as water, shampoo and hair products. This would theoretically let small businesses recover more progressively and eventually reach the pre-pandemic mark of 2019. The use of these products increased during the pandemic due to a greater need for cleanliness. A five-day quarantine for positive cases is also being proposed, along with another 5 days of mask-wearing after quarantine.

The facilitation of Third Country Nationals employments was also proposed, to address the issue of a lack of Human Resources and a non-productive wage inflation. The lobbying at the EU level to harmonise travel rules in the single EU area was also proposed.

#MaltaDaily

Police asked to vote a week early as union hits out at decision

Jan 31 2022

The Malta Police Union has issued criticism of a decision which will force police officers to vote in the upcoming general election a week before anyone else.

The union stated that officers were not consulted on the matter, with amendments to the General Elections Act enacted on the 25th January meaning that members of the police force must cast their vote seven days before the rest of the country.

The union’s stated claimed that it had neither been informed nor consulted. ‘Why are Police Officers, once again being denied their full rights as citizens of this Country to vote after the electoral campaign closes, and after being given the time to reflect on their vote?’

The union asked whether police officers’ votes were being considered more important than the person behind that voting document.

This comes amid rumours of a mid-March election, particularly as Parliament is set to hold its final vote on the Budget n Wednesday. This vote, once passed, would leave no obstacles in the way for Prime Minister Robert Abela to dissolve parliament and call the general election.

#MaltaDaily

Spotify loses over $2 billion due to Joe Rogan podcast controversy

Jan 31 2022

Streaming service Spotify has suffered a massive battering last week after it agreed to remove Neil Young’s music due to a Joe Rogan controversy. The 76-year-old Neil Young, himself a Polio survivor, spoke out against Spotify for allowing famous Joe Rogan to spread medical misinformation by platforming ‘problematic’ guests.

The Harvest Moon singer claimed he didn’t want to share a platform with him due to the guests spreading COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. Spotify adhered to the musician’s request, having the majority of his tracks taken down by the end of the week.As this went on, the share price was plummeting hard. Between January 26 to 28, it fell 6% – equating $2.1billion. With hashtags #CancelSpotify, #ByeSpotify and #DeleteSpotify circulating, the share price fell to a 52-week low of $164.41 before recovering slightly.

Before the Neil Young fallout, a group of 270 scientists, doctors and expert also wrote to Spotify raising concerns about Rogan’s podcast. Since Friday, Bruce Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren, best-selling author Brene Brown and even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle raised concerns about pandemic misinformation. Neil Young has since also spoken out, saying that he’s not calling for Rogan to be removed but simply does not want to have his music on a platform which spreads misinformation in the sam way private companies have the right to choose what they profit from.

Rogan himself has also spoken out with a 10-minute video, arguing that the two guests which received most backlash, Robert Mason and Peter McCullough, are well-qualified to speak about their chosen fields. He said that the only reason why there’s been so much controversy is because their views are contrary to public opinion. He said he wanted to hear their opinion, but stated he doesn’t know 100% that what his guests said is true.

He instead finds it necessary for there to be a platform where they can speak without the usual repercussions if they did the same thing on social media. Spotify has also since issued a new policy in response. Spotify will be allegedly slapping a content advisory for any podcast which speaks about the pandemic. This will lead listeners to a dedicated COVID-19 Hub, which provides resources and up-to-date information about COVID.

#MaltaDaily

300 abuse cases await handling by single magistrate

Jan 31 2022

Around 300 domestic violence cases are currently pending before the one magistrate assigned to handle them. According to figures compiled by the law courts, the statistics support concerns that traumatised abuse survivors are waiting up to a year for their cases to reach court.

Since July 2021, Magistrate Lara Lanfranco decided 162 cases, with 278 remaining pending. The magistrate, who has been commended for her hard work, has also inherited cases from another magistrate. This goes over and above her own caseload, resulting in major delays for all cases.

The issue was raised by Nationalist MP and lawyer Jason Azzopardi earlier this month, saying that he had been called to the police headquarters to assist a client, a victim of domestic violence. Police officers informed him that the case would start in January 2023.

Senior lecturer at UOM’s Faculty for Social Well-being Marceline Naudi said that delays getting justice is one of the biggest challenges for domestic abuse survivors. She highlighted how the delays are too long between the day a woman finds the courage to file a police report and the time when the perpetrator is charged in court.

The duration of the court case is also lengthy, which means that the process can drag on for years while the perpetrators may still resort to violence and harassment. A spokesperson for the Home Affairs Ministry revealed that the Court Services Agency had been collecting data on domestic violence cases since July 2021, when Magistrate Lanfranco was assigned to them.

Before this, domestic violence cases were treated as district cases and assigned to various magistrates. A police spokesperson said that since the Domestic Violence unit was set up in October 2020, a total of 2,203 reports were received.

445 reports were received between October and December 2020, and 1,758 were registered in 2021. Following investigations, 142 were arraigned between October and December 2021. In 2021, a total of 1,231 people faced court proceedings for domestic violence.

40 people were found guilty between October 2020 and December 2021. 165 were acquitted while 92 cases were declared as exhausted. A case can be exhausted for several reasons which include victims who refuse to testify against their alleged abuser or those who withdraw their initial criminal complaint.

#MaltaDaily