The Prime Minister of Malta, in a press conference held
yesterday morning together with Finance Minister Scicluna and
Economy Minister Schembri, announced a package of tax and economic
measures in order to address the impact COVID-19 might leave on the
Maltese economy.
Like other Member States, Malta's initiative is in line with
the European Commission's recommendations, which were reflected
in a press statement made by EU Competition Commissioner Vestager
on Friday 13 March. The European Union usually has strict rules
restricting state aid. State aid can take the form of cash grants,
or preferential tax treatment from government to a particular
business or industry.
Working within EU state aid rules, Member States can now adopt
measures such as wage subsidies, suspensions to corporate and value
added taxes of social contributions, or grant financial support
directly to consumers, for instance consumers affected by cancelled
services, where these are not reimbursed
