Labour pledges three years of no income tax for companies that relocate to Gozo

The Labour Party has pledged three years of no income tax for companies in Malta that decide to relocate to Gozo and employ people there, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday evening.

Dr Muscat was speaking at an electoral campaign political event yesterday in Gozo.

He expressed his commitment to complete the new fibre optic cable so that Gozo can be a ‘hub’ for technologyrelated businesses.

The party has also pledged to encourage teleworking for Gozitan employees to be able to work from home for companies based in Malta. Dr Muscat said the party has pledged to refund the companies €10,000 from each employee’s salary, as well as giving back 75 per cent of costs of any technology they spend in order to achieve this.

“We have come up with clear proposals that are going to make a difference in all your lives, which show that we don’t want Gozo to be like an old people’s homes, where everyone sits on benches looking at each other. We want to make Gozo into an economic engine. We have ambitious proposals which will create work,” he told those present.

“This is not play, we know the weight of the things we promise,” he added.

Dr Muscat also pledged that incentives will be given to parents of Gozitan children who are studying at the University of Malta, promising that they will receive up to € 5,000 in tax credits to cover expenses relating to rent accommodation in Malta.

He mentioned the Barts investment, saying that there have been 170 applicants of which 30 will initially attend the schools, increasing to 60 and eventually 300. He said that the project will be a “fullblown” project, contributing €15,000,000 to Gozo’s economy every year.

He also announced that 12 offers were received following a call for tenders on the fast ferry service, and pledged that the longpromised fast ferry service between Malta and Gozo will be launched within months. He added that three of the offers were from international companies.

He said those working in the Gozo hospital will remain government workers. “If this investment does not happen, the hospital will fall to pieces, there won’t be any need for workers and nurses to remain in Gozo, they will all have to go to Malta. Privatising the hospital will bring more people to Gozo.”

Speaking about the Malta leaks, Dr Muscat said, with reference to Simon Busuttil, that the retaliation of “speaking negatively about our country on television has resulted in this”.

“I am ready to have a united front,” Dr Muscat said. He concluded by saying, “they can say what they want about us, I am going to defend Malta and Gozo, which is my duty as Prime Minister.”

Labour MP Deo Debattista spoke prior to the Prime Minister. In an animated speech, Dr Debattista narrated a scene where a man woke up from a coma and asked about his family and what was happening in their lives. Each family was linked to a situation which the Labour government had brought about – civil union for LGBTIQ couples, free childcare for working mothers and inclusion in the workplace.

“Whenever they close their eyes, there is Joseph Muscat taking care of them,” he said.