I have been in business for over 29 years, and following Malta’s joining the EC, certain commercial problems have emerged.
Importing goods through the normal channels, either container load or groupage, involves ancillary expenses throughout. For example, the freight forwarder bill is endless (fuel surcharge, loading, offloading, fork lift charges, bond charges, etc.)
Today, one has to promote goods by advertising, and here again the costs are high.
Having said all this the retail price has to be competitive in view of the market size, and being close to Sicily. The most absurd situation is that some travel to Sicily with their own trucks and it seems that commercial quantities are brought over to be sold at extremely competitive prices. Therefore, private trucks freely roll off and drive off the port area, avoiding the expenses mentioned, thus trading at the expense of others.
Apart from this, the feeling is that some are doing away with NSO formalities and might also be non-registered VAT traders.
Analysing retail prices, one would be astonished at the cost price that must have been paid for goods (mostly) of Chinese origin coming from Sicily. On average, freight charges from the Far East almost equate to the cost of goods ex-works, while from Italy they average at Lm35 per cubic metre.
However, what I can see is that Malta will eventually be an extension of Sicily, and this might be speeded up as soon as the Euro becomes Malta’s official currency.

Mario Casingena
Swieqi

Mater Dei Hospital was inaugurated on 29 June. We had been promised by none other than the Prime Minister himself that it would start operating, with patients and all, on 1 July. This did not happen. We had also been told that the migration plan from St Luke’s to Mater Dei should take about three months,  up to October 2007. October is half gone already, and no migration is in sight.
Meanwhile it is a known fact that Mater Dei cannot completely replace St Luke’s;  that we have not enough doctors and paramedics for both hospitals; and that the operating costs for the Mater Dei alone will be over a million pounds every single week.   
Am I right to suspect that the present administration is deliberately dragging its feet to avoid revealing the extent of yet another massive problem on the eve of a general election?

Vincent Piccinino
Valletta

Is it true that in the UK there is no VAT on children's clothing? Does children's clothing not include school uniforms? Is this allowed by the EU Commission, or are there different rules for us?

Philip Grech

Quite recently, the Environment Ministry (The Times, 3 October) published the long-awaited Construction Site Management Regulations which will come into force on November 1. But there is nearly nothing to safeguard victimised adjacent neighbours who might suffer death, injuries or damages to their dear ones or to their homes and possessions.
Ironically, while the Environment Minister advises victims of demolition/reconstruction sites to go to court at unaffordable expense – thereby increasing the number of court cases – another Minister works hard to reduce the work-load at the Law Courts.
In compiling these belated regulations, the Environment Minister should have taken a leaf from a recent Court of Appeal judgment (The Times, 29 September) where the learned judge found for the victimised neighbour and blamed the offending developer by condemning him to two months’ jail, suspended for four years, and ordering him to repair the damages caused within six months. I refer specifically to the part that ordered the guilty developer to repair the damages caused, if the Minister sincerely and really meant to “afford them the highest degree of protection” (Times, Apr. 30).
Knowing that nowadays there is more redevelopment than development, that is there is more harmful demolition that contributes appreciably to the general environmental degradation and neighbourhood damage, not to mention death and injuries, the Minister took great care of broken pavements rather than hard-done-by neighbours. Unlike the Environment Minister, I believe in “what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” and persons like me, and there are many, are bound to suffer immeasurable mental and material damage for want of a dutiful helping hand by the responsible minister.
Minister Pullicino’s striking revolving earth (directionally awry) fountain in Sliema may have hit the headlines, and contractors may claim that they are the mainstay of the economy – perhaps also of the large political parties – but a democratic government normally cries out for the fullest protection of innocent victims, not only for broken pavements. Our politicians do not seem to realise that you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
One trusts that this is not a harbinger of things to come.

A. Camilleri
Sliema

The Labour Party’s “Plan for a New Beginning” includes, amongst others, some interesting news for us students.
Well, for the past couple of years, I have spoken to a great deal of students who maintain that they are not happy with the grade awarded to them during examinations. Of course, one may opt to pay Lm15 for a revision of paper, which in countless cases results in the same grade. On the other hand, students are never given the opportunity to be able to see our corrected examination papers.
However, this is about to change. The Labour party has promised to make exam papers available to students who are not satisfied with the grade given. This news shows how the Labour Party agrees to more transparency in every social institution.
Two thumbs up for the Labour Party`s initiative.

Nikita Zammit
St Julian’s

The Nationalist Party has tried a number of anti-Labour tactics.  None have worked but they may finally have decided upon a strategy: shoot down all the Labour Party`s policies and pledges.
A case in point is Labour`s proposal to reduce the surcharge paid by families and businesses on their water and electricity consumption. According to the Nationalist Party apparatchiks, this is a non-starter. When their special advisors told them that it is indeed achievable, they said it would be too costly and there are no funds for it. So they came back and tried to ridicule it again and again.
Since the 2003 general elections the Nationalist government has commissioned 318 reports which have cost the sum of Lm 1, 125,000. Nothing has come of these reports, and instead a whole series of projects have fallen behind and ended up over budget Amongst these were the roads built under the Italian protocol, the Cirkewwa – Mgarr Gozo ferry terminal, Mater Dei Hospital and numerous roads and other public works projects around Malta and Gozo.
In total, these have cost the Maltese people Lm 191 million more than they should have. Had they been foregone, the amount “saved” would have created enough resources to finance a reduction of the surcharge by half, as levied at its highest rate, for over 14 years.
The Nationalist Party has long used the trick of attributing its own weaknesses to others. Their outdated philosophy, their lack of new solutions to today's problems, their lack of imagination for tomorrow's challenges, their weak record and their errors which are way too many.
People dislike negative politics and are looking for direction. A Labour government will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action in the service of what matters to the Maltese people: meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole count.

Alex Saliba
Tarxien

Reference is made to the caption story regarding Australia Hall in Pembroke (14 October). I am not sure who called me for my comments but whoever called me did not publish the total truth of what I said.
Trusting that you will publish this information to clear the misconception that your article has made: that it is the Malta Labour Party which is neglecting this historical place, and not bureaucracy from the powers that be.
I informed your newspaper’s representative that Australia Hall, according to Lands Department documents, is the property of MLP. But due to a court case instituted by the Nationalist Party in 1988 to contest MLP’s ownership, the place has been neglected, as the case is still in the hands of the courts to determine who is really the owner of the property.
During my 11 years in the Local Council we have always deplored the time taken for the courts or whoever is responsible to conclude this matter for the benefit of all concerned. At no point did I say that Pembroke Council wants the place, although it would do very nicely as the Town Hall if it could happen.

Joe Zammit
Mayor, Pembroke