The surcharge charged between 1 October 2005 and 13 September 2006 has been estimated at Lm26.5 million, Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt told Labour deputy leader Charles Mangion.

Lm4.3 million has been estimated as the surcharge paid on water.

Dr Gatt added that Lm1.6 million have been paid by hotels, Lm3.7 million by industries and Lm21.2 million by “others”.

MFA owes police Lm9,000

The police still await payment of some Lm12,000 for extra duty worked over the past months, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg told Labour MP Carmelo Abela.

In particular, the Malta Football Association owes Lm9,000 and its last payment was made in May.

The Marsa Racing Club owes Lm2,000 and the last payment was made in October and the Gozo Football Association owes Lm1,000 and the last payment was made in May.

Malta’s water high in nitrates

The level of nitrates in Malta’s aquifers is far above the level of nitrates as stipulated by EU directives, that is 50 milligrams per litre, Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit told Labour MP Noel Farrugia.

The level of nitrates above the clay levels in Malta exceed 100mg per litre, that in the plains varies between 50mg and 75mg while that in Gozo is around 50mg per litre.

Malta as a whole has been classified as a “vulnerable zone for nitrates” and an action programme has been drawn up to reduce these levels to the EU ones.

MTA advertising

The Malta Tourism Authority spent Lm1.8 million in 2004, Lm2 million last year and Lm2.1 million this year in advertising in foreign countries. It is expected that next year’s advertising will be around this year’s spend, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech told Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.