The government is committed to continue curbing illicit trading in order to ensure that entrepreneurs operate in a level playing field without unfair competition, Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said yesterday.

Mr Vassallo said that with its measures, the government was not protecting the large agents but rather ensuring that everyone operated within the same playing field and respected the regulations.

He said that when the market was liberalised, making it easier for someone to import products from other European Union member states, some importers who started to see their products being imported by others, began to describe this as illicit trading. In fact, illicit trading is when someone does not declare value added tax or does not pay the eco-contribution.

“We are committed to continue curbing illicit trading. Parallel trading is not illicit trading,” he said.

Mr Vassallo launched the consultation period which would eventually lead to the drawing up of an action plan for micro enterprises, which constitute under 96 per cent of businesses in Malta. He said the present action plan would expire in June and his secretariat was planning to draw up another action plan for the period June 2007 to June 2008.