Government Notices published in Government Gazette No. 21,228 of 19th April 2024

The President of Malta has been pleased to approve the retirement of  Lieutenant Colonel Mario Borg from the Armed Forces of Malta Individual Reserve of Officers, with effect from the 21st April, 2024.

IN exercise of the powers conferred by Article 91A(1) and by Article 124 (5) (a) of the Constitution of Malta, the President of Malta, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, has approved the appointment as Acting State Advocate of Dr Andria Buhagiar, Deputy State Advocate, with effect from 22nd April, 2024 until 25th April, 2024.

IT is notified for general information that the following Bills are published in the Supplement to this Gazette:

Bill No. 94 entitled the Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act, 2024;

Bill No. 95 entitled the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (Amendment) Act, 2024; and

Bill No. 96 entitled the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2024.

​Delegation for the Approval of Postage Stamp Issues and the Formulation of a Programme in Respect of Postage Stamp Issues

IT is notified for general information that by the powers of the Postal Services Act (Cap. 254), the Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects has delegated to Mr Ronald Mizzi, Permanent Secretary, the function to approve postage stamp issues and the formulation of a programme in respect of postage stamp issues.

This is for a period of two years with effect from 20th April, 2024.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives has approved the following temporary appointment:

of theHouse ofParliament of Malta

Represtantives

In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 113 of the Civil Code (Cap. 16), the Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector has made this Order whereby the Adoption Order dated 1st November, 2023, issued by the District Magistrate (Magistrate Vigneshwari IAS), Kottayam, India, is being specified as an adoption of the person therein mentioned for the purposes of Articles 113, 130 and 130A of the Civil Code.

  (Sgd) Dr Jonathan Attard

Minister for Justice and Reform of theConstruction Sector

In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 113 of the Civil Code (Cap. 16), the Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector has made this Order whereby the Adoption Order dated 22nd July, 2023, issued by the Office of the District Magistrate, Patna, Bihar State, India, is being specified as an adoption of the person therein mentioned for the purposes of Articles 113, 130 and 130A of the Civil Code.

  (Sgd) Dr Jonathan Attard

Minister for Justice and Reform of theConstruction Sector

​Grant on the Purchase of Special Equipment for use by Persons with Disability

WITH reference to Government Notice number 1391, that was published on the  5th November, 2019 in Government Gazette number 20,290, and the subsequent Government Notice No. 401 published in Government Gazette No. 20,839 of the 19th April, 2022, this grant scheme 'Grant on the Purchase of Special Equipment for use by Persons with Disability' is being amended as follows.

In order for the Government to assist persons with disability that need to purchase special equipment required to live an independent life, the Ministry for Finance issued the following scheme.

1. Interpretation

In this scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:

'applicant' means any person who is a resident in Malta and who is registered as a person with disability with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability, or any other person or entity applying in the name of a disabled person who is registered as disabled with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability;

'application' means the application made for a grant under this scheme;

'effective date' means the 1st January, 2020;

'Malta' means the islands of Malta;

'person' means a natural person and does not include any organisational entity;

'person residing in Malta' means a natural person who holds a legally valid identification document issued in terms of the Identity Card and Other Documents Act (Cap. 258) or who has a residence permit or equivalent documentation issued by a competent authority;

'entity' means an organisation that is registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations;

'fiscal receipt' means a receipt as defined in the Thirteenth Schedule to the Value Added Tax (Chap. 406), as subsequently amended, and also includes any regulation made under the same Act;

'special equipment' means any type of equipment that is included in schedule (A) that is annexed to this notice and that is intended for the use of persons with disability and specifically aimed to improve their level of life and independence;

'purchase price of the equipment' means the total purchase price of the complete equipment including VAT and which purchase price has been paid in full by the applicant prior to applying for this grant.

2. Area of applicability

This scheme applies to the expenditure that is incurred on the purchase price of the special equipment by the applicant, and which equipment is purchased by the applicant on the effective date or afterwards during the duration of this scheme. 

3. Expenditure to be reported

The expenditure to be reported is in respect of the purchase price of the special equipment as defined in paragraph 1 above.

4. Manner of application and supporting documents

(i) Applications under this scheme shall be made via the official electronic portal or by visiting a Servizz.gov hub in Malta or the Office of the Malta Tax and Customs Administration (Gozo Office) in Gozo  at Tigrija Palazz, Level 1, Republic Street, Victoria, Gozo

(ii) The applicant shall furnish the details of the invoices/fiscal receipts and any further documentation required to be submitted as required on the indicated portal. Provided that, the original fiscal receipts/invoices and relevant documentation shall be kept by the applicant for a period of not less than two years from the date of application and produced upon request to the Malta Tax and Customs Administration for verification purposes.

Failure to produce any such documents upon request the applicant will be obliged to refund the amount paid under the scheme and in the case of a fraudulent application criminal action in terms of the Criminal Code (Cap 9) will be taken against him.

(iii) In the case of special equipment not purchased from Malta the original invoice issued by the supplier indicating the type of special equipment purchased, together with the delivery note, the original documentary proof that final payment has been effected, and clearance from Maltapost/Department of Customs Malta as may be required, must be retained by the applicant for a period as stipulated above. These documents must confirm that the special equipment was really purchased; that the purchase price of the special equipment which price includes duty and VAT as may be required was really paid in full; that such a purchase was effected by the purchaser for the applicant; and that the special equipment was delivered to the applicant's residence or to the residence of the person with disbility for whom the application would have been made.  The special equipment must also have a certificate of conformity with EU standard safety regulations, as may be required;

(iv) Only those applications that are found to conform with the provisions of this scheme shall be eligible for payment of the grant referred to in paragraph 5 of this scheme.

(v) Applications under this scheme should be submitted by not later than six months from the purchase of the special equipment.

Applications submitted 'late', that is after the six month period, shall be deemed to be invalid applications.

5.Grant payable under this scheme

(a) Eligible applicants may apply for a grantof not more than 4.5% on the purchase price of the special equipment as listed in part one of schedule (A) and for a grant of not more than 17.5% on the purchase price of the special equipment as listed in part two of schedule (A), subject to a maximum capping of €1,000.

(b) This capping will be applicable for a five year period from when the individual would have benefitted from the first grant.  Therefore an individual is able to apply multiple times for this grant scheme but the cumulative amount of the grant/s received cannot be more than the indicated maximum capping.  This will apply for a period of five years.

(c) In case of  persons who have already benefited from the grant of the previous scheme related to the purchase of special equipment for use by persons with disability, applicable conditions under clause 5 of the grant scheme issued in terms of Government Notice number 951, that was published on the 1st September 2017 in Government Gazette number 19,587, and  as subsequently amended by Government Notice number 164, that was published on 9th February 2018 in Government Gazette number 19,946, shall be kept in force within their terms and conditions and shall continue to be effective and binding, subject that the maximum capping shall be €1,000. This capping will be applicable for a five-year period from when the individual would have benefitted from the first grant and the cumulative amount of the grant/s received cannot be more than the indicated maximum capping even if this was obtained in virtue of the said grant published by Government Notice number 951 and subsequently amended by Government Notice 164.

6.Payment of Grant

The grant will be credited to the applicant, or to the parent/s/ legal guardian/s in the case of applicants under the age of sixteen, in the bank account that is indicated in the application.

7.Validity of application

An application shall not be deemed to be valid unless:

(a) it is full and complete in all material aspects;

(b) it is accompanied by all the relevant details as required;

(c) it is submitted by not later than six months from the date of purchase of the special equipment as is stipulated in paragraph 4 of this scheme.

8.Duration of the scheme

This scheme shall remain in force for an indefinite period from the effective date, until such time that the Minister for Finance may opt to modify/ terminate it by a notice to be published in the Government Gazette

9.Amendments to the scheme

The Minister for Finance reserves the right to make any amendments to this scheme by the publication of the said amendments in the Government Gazette.

SCHEDULES

Schedule A – List of Eligible Special Equipment

Schedule A

First Part

Amplifiers for communications devices for persons with impaired hearing;

Bath tub lifters;

Braille typewriters and embossers;

White Sticks;

Walking Sticks and Ferrules;

Special Buggies;

Chairlifts;

Gutter Frames;

Hoists;

Wheelchair lifts for vehicles;^*

Mouth sticks;

Platform stair lifts;

Pressure relief cushions;

Prone standers;

Pressure relief mattresses;

Raised toilet seats;

Padded/Inflatable toilet seats;

Manual wheelchairs;

Powered wheelchairs;

Special seats;

Special feeder chairs;

Swimming pool lifters;

Toilet frames/surrounds;

Children special walkers.

Second Part

Variable height beds, hydraulic or motorized;

Lifting/Reclining armchairs;

Bathroom aids (eg: shower chairs, grab rails);

Guide Dogs (Licensed through the Malta Guide Dog Foundation);

Service Dogs (Licensed through the Malta Service Dog Association);

Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) machines;

Mobility Scooters;

Computers (including laptops, iPads and tablets);

Reader Pens (pen format OCR scanners and speech enabled readers for persons with Dyslexia, or very low vision;

Devices specifically for the blind (like large character display and voice based output) like victor reader, CCTV magnifiers and OCR scanners;

Smart home automation technology when being installed for the benefit of persons with neuro-degenerative diseases and wheelchair users;

Eye tracking and head tracking technology products when used to benefit persons with disability so as to enable screen pointer control and/or Assistive and Augmentative Communication;

Assisitve technology products like TheGrid, Clicker8, Boardmaker, Dragon Naturally Speaking.

_____________

^*Applies to modifications that are required to vehicles that are already pre-owned by the applicant.

​Scheme to Sustain Energy and Water Efficiency within Voluntary Organisations

With reference to Government Notice No. 468 published in the Government Gazette No. 20,850 of the 3rd April, 2022, as amended by Government Notice No. 499 published in the Government Gazzette No. 20,853 published on 7th May, 2022, it is notified that in Section 2, the following is to be added immediately at the end of the list of eligible interventions:

And the sentence under the list of eligible interventions:

“Applicants may propose any number of interventions under a maximum of 2 criteria per category in their application. (Only 2 out of criteria W1, W2, W3 can be chosen, along with 2 criteria from E1, E2, and E3) “

Is replaced with:

 “Applicants may propose any number of interventions under a maximum of 2 criteria per category in their application. (Only 2 out of criteria W1, W2, W3 can be chosen, along with 2 criteria from E1, E2, E3 and E4);"

Scheme to Sustain Energy and Water Efficiency within Voluntary Organisations

WITH reference to the Scheme, as established by Government Notice No. 468 published on 3rd May, 2022 and subsequent amendments, it is hereby being notified that a new Call for applications is being issued under this Scheme.

Applications for this Call may be validly received between the 22nd of April 2024 starting from 4.00 p.m. and ending on the 6th May, 2024 at noon.

Applications may only be submitted through the online application system accessible through the link provided in Schedule II. Such applications will be acknowledged, processed and ranked on a first come first served basis, subject to availability of funds.

The online application system shall generate an automated list of submissions and shall not accept further application submissions once the funds available for this Call have been provisionally allocated, subject to review and acceptance of submitted applications.

Applicants that have received a grant offer as a result of a successful application in any previous call under this Scheme, are not eligible to apply for funding in this call. The Online Application system shall automatically reject applications from such Voluntary Organisations.

The Call may be renewed, modified terminated early, including for reasons of oversubscription, by means of a Notice in the Government Gazette as deemed necessary by the Agency.

The Agency shall have the right to make any amendments to the Scheme by means of a Notice published in the Government Gazette containing such amendments.

Schedule I

Scheme Rules applicable to this Call available on EWA website: (https://energywateragency.gov.mt/voluntary-organisations-scheme/).

Schedule II

Online Application System available on EWA website: (https://energywateragency.gov.mt/voluntary-organisations-scheme/).

Initiative to promote the Deployment of Renewable Energy Sources by Voluntary Organisations

Second Call

In order to further encourage the use of renewable sources of energy, the following Initiative is being launched to enable Voluntary Organisations (VO) to install and run a Photovoltaic (PV) System to be used on their premises.

This Second Call is applicable to Voluntary Organisations as defined in the Voluntary Organizations Act (Cap. 492), which is enrolled with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organizations and which, on the date of submission of an application in terms of this Initiative, meets all the eligibility criteria laid down in the Rules available on the Energy and Water Agency's Website.

Voluntary Organizations may apply to be awarded a financial Grant towards the installation and commissioning of a PV system consisting of either twelve (12) or twenty-four (24) PV panels to be kept functional throughout the durability period on the premises used by the Voluntary Organizations for their voluntary activities.

Furthermore, each eligible applicant would be provided with a grant of either € 5,000 or € 7,500, depending on the number of panels applied for.  This sum is to cover the costs of the structure, inverter, installation works and professional advice.

Applications will be received between 10.00 a.m. of Monday, 29th April, 2024 and 10.00 a.m. of Monday, 13th May, 2024.

The requested application and documentation are to be collated and submitted to the Managing Authority electronically via email as indicated in the Rules.

The applications under this Initiative will be received and evaluated on a first come first served basis, subject to availability of both funds and PV modules.

The Call may be renewed, modified terminated early, including for reasons of oversubscription, by means of a Notice in the Government Gazette as deemed necessary by the Agency.

The Agency shall have the right to make any amendments to the Scheme by means of a Notice published in the Government Gazette containing such amendments.

Notice in terms of Articles 58 and 73

In terms of the proviso to Article 58(3) and Article 73(2) of the Value Added Tax Act, the Commissioner for Tax and Customs is hereby notifying the person/s listed hereunder that a demand notice for payment of tax, penalties and interest as per Article 59 of Cap. 406 has been issued in their regard.

VAT NumberTax Payer

Management Services Ltd

Unless payment is effected within 30 days from the date of this notice the Commissioner for Tax and Customs will proceed to enforce payment in terms of law.

Copies of said notices may be collected from the Collection Section, MTCA, Blk 5, Floriana.

TAX ACT (CAP. 406)

Notice in terms of Article 29 of the Income Tax Management Act, Cap. 372;

and Article 73(2) Value Added Tax Act, Cap. 406

In terms of the proviso to Article 29(1) of the Income Tax Management Act and/or Article 73(2) of the Value Added Tax Act, the Commissioner for Tax and Customs hereby notifies the person listed hereunder to call at the Malta Tax and Customs Administration, Objections and Appeals Directorate, Block 1, Triq Vincenzo Dimech, Floriana FRN 1700, by not later than thirty days from the date of this publication to collect the notice/s issued on such person.

Name Reference

Mr Michael Zammit               520370M

THE Commissioner of Inland Revenue notifies that, on the date shown hereunder, the price of gold and silver on which valuations made by the Consul for Goldsmiths and Silversmiths are based has been fixed for the purposes of article 14 of the said Act as follows: