From Mr P. Aquilina

The Qormi local council, which has a Labour majority, has plans to tax the people Lm570,000 between 2007 and 2010. Local councils are required to present a three-year business plan together with an annual budget and other financial information, according to local councils financial regulations.

The Qormi council has planned to tax the people more than half a million lira; this astonishing figure is in the Qormi council’s three-year business plan 2007-2010. From past experience regarding sums of money this Labour council collects from the people, this figure is very likely to increase to Lm750,000. According to the council’s audited accounts, the income from LES for last year (2006/07) alone was an astonishing Lm236,696.

But this is not all, because while the Labour council punishes the people without mercy, two Labour mayors have moved a motion on the subject of warden tickets in this week’s mayors’ meeting. The motion mentions among other things, the Petition Board, which, since being formed by the minister, has annulled or revised a very high percentage of petitions submitted by the public. Over 60 per cent of the petitions submitted were upheld.

The Labour majorities are trying to use this motion as propaganda, when in fact they tax the people without mercy. The Hamrun council, which proposed the motion, has taxed the people no less than Lm320,996 in the last two years, while the Marsascala council that seconding the motion had a net income from the LES of Lm76,737 during the same period. This means that these two Labour councils between them have taxed the people nearly Lm400,000.

Labour hypocrisy

It is obvious that the motion is nothing less than another Labour propaganda gimmick and is being presented solely to show the people that Labour councils are not to blame, yet while Qormi plans to tax the people Lm570,000, Hamrun and Marsascala have taxed the people Lm397,000 in two years. This is Labour hypocrisy at its best and continues to show the way Labour are prepared to govern if they are given the chance. On the surface they show the people that they will protect them but their actual plans are taxes and more taxes.

This is proof of Labour’s hidden agenda; the same thing that happened during the last Labour government when they introduced 33 new taxes will be repeated if Labour is given the chance to govern the country. Look at Qormi, Hamrun and Marsascala – can the people trust Labour? This is Labour’s way of governance foretold. The people have tried them at national level and failed them, they have been tried for years at local level; look what they are doing, their policies point only in one direction - taxes without mercy. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and their puddings make us sick

Labour inefficiency is now official

I have repeatedly mentioned abuses that take place in Labour councils concerning financial deficits, lack of planning, abuse of power and thousands of liras in taxes and above all their gross inefficiency.

Last week, Minister for Justice and Home Affairs Dr Tonio Borg placed on the table in parliament the local councils efficiency report. The results confirm what I have been saying in my contributions regarding local councils all along.

The report, which is an impartial and professional one, clearly states that the Labour local councils of Hamrun, Cospicua and Ta’ Xbiex are among the worst local councils and are therefore inefficient, while the Nadur, Gharb and Gharghur councils, all with a PN majority, are among the most efficient. This is the basic difference between both parties: while the PN give priority to the localities the MLP care only about partisan politics.

Sta Venera local council

The mayor of Sta Venera stated in his longish reply (TMIS, 25 November) to my article that the PN majority at Sta Venera left a deficit of Lm23,000. This is incorrect. According to the auditor’s accounts signed by Mr Sultana himself on 17 July 2006, the Sta Venera local council had a positive balance of Lm6,319 on 31 March 2005, the last financial year under a PN majority,

Deficiencies are calculated on the results of the working capital, which in the year 2004/05 resulted in a positive balance as stated above. I suggest to Mr Sultana that he goes over his accounts properly.

Pawlu Aquilina

PN Local Councils

Co-ordinator