Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has said that Malta wants to be a driver in the area of electronic commerce.

He was delivering a speech during the opening of a three-day FISCALIS Conference on the implementing rules on the VAT E-Commerce Directive

"Things are changing everywhere around us and such changes have also affected the way we do things. Today, technology has advanced to a point that it is no longer necessary to have your physical presence in a shop to purchase a product. You just stay at home, log onto the internet, and make an online purchase. Then the product is dispatched and delivered to your doorstep."

"Way back in 1977, when the Sixth Directive came into force, no one may have thought that we could arrive at such a situation.  Since then, the European Union has grown to 28 member states and economic realities have changed. Therefore, if we want to move forward in the way of progress, we have to be dynamic and adapt our rules to modern times. We have to be flexible in our approach to encourage all sectors in our economy to grow."

The e-commerce package is a step in the right direction because it provides new opportunities for cross-border trading, the minister said. "These changes in the VAT system will reduce burdens on operators taking part in online business. These would have simplified obligations that would encourage more of these traders to engage in online trading."

"Malta welcomes such initiatives that would facilitate trading and encourage economic growth."

He said that the e-commerce package was one of the priorities of the Maltese Presidency. "The next step is to have new implementing rules that would lay down the practical details of how this package would be implemented. This is the scope behind this seminar. "

"Malta wants to be a driver in the area of electronic commerce. We are therefore committed to ensure that the adopted package would be implemented efficiently for the benefit of European businesses and tax administrations."