The Nationalist Party has demanded the withdrawal of Legal Notice 419 published on 5 November entitled “Exemption from Tax on Property Transfers (Set-Off of Tax Arrears) Rules,” after having raised numerous questions and concerns over the fairness of the government's decision.

Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Opposition MP Mario de Marco mentioned the several institutions which criticised the legal notice, saying that the only beneficiaries of this exemption will be those who have failed to pay their taxes and does not take into consideration those who pay their taxes on time.

“The government has the obligation to assure the payment and collection of taxes from people and business with total respect to the principles of fiscal morality in a just and responsible manner,” said de Marco, adding that unfortunately, this is not being done.

“The government is not being honest,” said PN MP Karol Aquilina, and calls for the motion to be discussed in a parliamentary sitting as soon as possible.

Asked by the press as to what the PN thinks about the reasons behind this legal notice, de Marco explained that the government gave no explanation regarding the motives which led to the issuing of the notice.

He added that this system is discriminatory as it does not discern those who have fallen behind in their tax payments with genuine reasons from those who are purposely evading it.

The legal notice says that anyone whose tax arrears were due by January 2021 will be allowed to pay any tax due on the transfer of property purchased before March 2021 against their arrears, meaning that they will be exempt from tax on property transfers to the extent that they are in arrears.

The PN will file a Parliamentary motion calling for the Legal Notice to be repealed.