Maltese MEP Alfred Sant said he hoped that following the upcoming European Parliament elections and the establishment of a new European Commission, digital issues related to the European Single market will get the accellerated attention that they deserve.

Sant said that the likelihood is that a sales tax on American giants Google, Facebook and Amazon (GAFA) would not be accepted by the end of this year.

Sant was addressing a Conference on ‘VAT and the EU digital economy’ organised by the ‘Malta Institute of Management’.

Sant said that Brexit-bound UK seems to have pre-empted the EU on this issue, since according to its 2019 budget, it will be introducing a tax on the sales of the GAFA internet giants within its territory. There was much surprise in Brussels when this got known.

The Maltese MEP said that in Brussels lots of discussions are held about the possibilities of blockchain, but the mood is uniformly one of caution, both at Commission and ECB levels as that of member states.