Government Notices published in Govt. Gazette No. 20,304 of 29 November 2019

THE President of Malta has been pleased to approve the transfer of Lieutenant Joseph Aquilina from the Regular Force of the Armed Forces of Malta to the Individual Reserve Force, on resignation with effect from 1st December, 2019.

IT is hereby notified that in accordance with Article 29 (1) of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, the President of Malta, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, has approved the recognition of the conferment of the following honours to Maltese nationals by the Italian Republic:

Ordine della Stella d'Italia

* Ms Maria Grazia Cassar

* Ms Christine Borg

14th October 2019

IT is hereby notified that in accordance with Article 29 (1) of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, the President of Malta, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, has approved the recognition of the conferment of the Ordine della Stella d'Italia to Prof. Gloria Lauri Lucente by the Italian Republic.

In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 113 of the Civil Code (Cap. 16), the Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government has made this Order whereby the Adoption Order dated 21st April, 2017, issued by the Family Court at West London, United Kingdom, is being specified as an adoption of the person therein mentioned for the purposes of Articles 113 and 130 of the Civil Code.

(Sgd) Owen Bonnici

Minister for Justice, Cultureand Local Government

In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 113 of the Civil Code (Cap. 16), the Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government has made this Order whereby the Adoption Orders dated 29th June, 1989, issued by the Oldham County Court, United Kingdom, is being specified as an adoption of the person therein mentioned for the purposes of Articles 113 and 130 of the Civil Code.

(Sgd) Owen Bonnici

Minister for Justice, Cultureand Local Government

List of Registered Consumer Associations

THE Consumer Affairs Council notifies that for the purpose of Article 33 of the Consumer Affairs Act, the following consumer associations were duly registered consumer associations in accordance with the requirements of Part IV of the said Act, as on 31st December, 2017: "Consumers' Association-Malta" as from 22nd October, 1997; and "Association for Consumer Rights-Malta" as from 11th June, 2012.

List of Registered Consumer Associations

THE Consumer Affairs Council notifies that for the purpose of Article 33 of the Consumer Affairs Act, the following consumer associations were duly registered consumer associations in accordance with the requirements of Part IV of the said Act, as on 31st December, 2018: "Consumers' Association-Malta" as from 22nd October, 1997; and "Association for Consumer Rights-Malta" as from 11th June, 2012.

Notice in terms of Article 61(1)

In Terms of the proviso to article 61(1) of the Duty on Documents and Transfers Act, the Commissioner for Revenue hereby notifies the persons listed hereunder to call at the Capital Transfer Duty Department, 46, Triq il-Merkanti, Valletta, to collect the notices made on such persons.

Government Grants Scheme for the Purchase of Electric Vehicles, Electric Motorcycles, Electric Mopeds, Electric Tricycles and Pedal Electric Bicycles (Pedelec) for Private Individuals, Local Councils,

Non Government Organisations, Businesses and Private Companies

IN terms of the provisions of paragraph 8 and 10 of the Government Notice No. 1044 published in the Government Gazette No. 20,254 dated 27th August, 2019, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects is extending this grant scheme until an additional amount of grants reaches the amount of €1,500,000. Once this amount is reached, the scheme, as extended, will be automatically terminated.

The interpretation and all other provisions under the scheme as having been published in the Notice No. 1044 of the 27th August, 2019, referred to shall continue to apply till the termination of this scheme as stipulated in paragraph 8 of the same Notice except for the amount of '€600,000' which is being substituted by the amount '€1,500,000'.

The public is hereby being notified that all applications relative to this scheme which have been submitted under this scheme shall be deemed to be valid applications until the sum of €1,500,000 has been reached.

Government Grant on the Purchase of Environment-friendly Vehicles

IN terms of the provisions of paragraph 8 and 9 of the Government Notice No. 120 published in the Government Gazette No. 20,128 dated 29th January, 2019, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects is extending this grant scheme until an additional amount of grants reaches the amount of €1,800,000. Once this amount is reached, the scheme, as extended, will be automatically terminated.

The interpretation and all other provisions under the scheme as having been published in the Notice No. 120 of the 29th January 2019, referred to shall continue to apply till the termination of this scheme as stipulated in paragraph 8 of the same Notice except for the amount of '€1,500,000' which is being substituted by the amount '€1,800,000'.

The public is hereby being notified that all applications relative to this scheme which have been submitted under this scheme shall be deemed to be valid applications until the sum of €1,800,000 has been reached.

Government Scheme to Incentivise more Autogas Powered Vehicles

The Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects in conjunction with the Authority for Transport in Malta, will be launching another grant scheme to incentivise vehicle owners to convert their vehicle to autogas. This is another environment friendly budget measure aimed at reducing further emissions from road traffic.

Subject to the below conditions, the following grant amounts will be paid:

€200 when a Category M1 or N1 motor vehicle is converted to autogas, up to a maximum of 250 grants.

The scheme came into effect on the 1st January, 2019, and closes on the 31st December, 2019, or earlier if the available grants has been issued. Persons who have converted their vehicle to autogas during the past years may still apply for the scheme.   

The grants in this scheme shall be assigned on a first come first serve basis.

THE SCHEME

1. Interpretation

For the purposes of the scheme, unless the context otherwise requires:

'applicant' means the person applying for a grant under this scheme and who, apart from being a person residing in Malta or an undertaking established in Malta, has the vehicle registered in his name;

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

'autogas' means liquefied petroleum gas with specifications according to MSA EN 589 used for the propulsion of motor vehicles;

'certificate of retrofitting' means the certificate issued by a competent person after the carrying out of the retrofitting of a motor vehicle for the use of LPG in its propulsion system;

'Category N1 vehicle' means a motor vehicle used for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes;

'competent person' means the person who is approved by the Regulator for Energy and Water Services to carry out work, supervision and certification related to autogas including retrofitting;

'grant' means the grant being given under this scheme to an applicant who satisfies the requirements of section 4;

 'motor vehicle' means a Category M1 or N1 vehicle;

'Malta' means the islands of Malta;

'person' means a natural person;

'person residing in Malta' means a natural person who either holds a legally valid identification document issued in terms of the Identity Card and other Identity Documents Act (Cap. 258) or who has a residence permit or a letter issued from the expatriate office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

'registered owner' means the person in whose name a motor vehicle is registered by Transport Malta;

'Regulator for Energy and Water Services means the Regulator responsible for services relating to energy and water, and to make provision with respect to matters ancillary thereto and connected therewith;

'Transport Malta' means the Authority for Transport in Malta set up under the provisions of the Authority for Transport in Malta Act (Cap. 499);

'vehicle registration certificate' means the vehicle registration certificate issued by Transport Malta providing proof of registration of the motor vehicle and in whose name the vehicle is registered;

'Category M1 vehicle' means, for the purposes of this scheme, a motor vehicle used for the carriage of persons and which may carry no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver;

2. Area of applicability

The scheme for a grant of €200 for the conversion of an M1 or N1 category vehicle applies to a person residing in Malta who is the registered owner of a motor vehicle:

is registered with and licensed by Transport Malta in the name of the applicant on date of the converstion and application for the grant;

has been coverted to autogas by a competent person, and

the autogas equipment or the autogas modification system installed in the vehicle comply with the requirements of UN ECE 67 or UN ECE 115 and have been approved by an approving authority as the kind authorized in accordance with Directive 2007/46/EC as amended, vehicles powered by diesel engines shall not apply to this scheme.

3. Manner of application and supporting documents

An application for a grant under this scheme shall be made by the registered owner following  the retrofitting of the motor vehicle with autogas equipment by a competent person, in the application forms VEH62 or VEH60 set out in the schedule to this scheme and shall contain all the information, details and documents  as required in the said form and in terms of this scheme.

Applications shall be signed and stamped by the competent person and shall be accompanied by the following documents and payment:

a copy of the certificate of retrofitting issued by the competent person;

a copy of the fiscal receipt issued by the competent person;

the original vehicle's registration certificate (logbook);

two VRT certificates, one issued not earlier than 90 days before the retrofitting, and one issued within 30 days after the retrofitting;

a copy of a legally valid identification document of the applicant or a residence permit or an acknowledgement issued by the expatriate office (Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security);

an administrative fee of €10, payable to Transport Malta, for the issue of a new registration certificate.

Applications under this scheme, together with all the relevant documents, shall be submitted by the applicant to Transport Malta, Vehicle Licensing Unit, A3 Towers, Arcade Street, Paola, between 7.30 a.m. and noon and between 1.00 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. during working days or mailed to the same address.

4. Eligibility

To be eligible, an applicant shall conform with  Section 2.

To qualify, the motor vehicle:

shall be  registered in the applicant's name on the date of conversion and date of application for the grant;

shall be an M1 or N1 category motor vehicles as the case may be;

The M1 or N1 category vehicles, has to be  converted to autogas by a competent person in conformity with the provisions of the Autogas (Installation and Certification) Regulations (S.L.545.26) and shall have the autogas equipment or autogas retrofit system installed thereto complying with the requirements of UN ECE 67 or UN ECE 115 and type-approved by an authorised type approval authority in accordance with Directive 2007/46/EC as amended.

5. Payment of grant

Where an applicant qualifies for the grant, the grant shall be paid directly to the applicant.  The grant given shall not be assessed as income for tax purposes.

6. Validity of application

An application shall not be deemed to have been submitted by the applicant unless it is completed in full and is accompanied by all the relevant documents. If the application is not completed correctly and the relevant documents are not included, the claim for the grant shall not be processed unless the missing information is provided. Transport Malta shall write to the applicant advising him of the information required.

7. Refund of grant if the retrofitting is removed or disabled

Should the owner apply to have the autogas system removed from motor vehicle on which a grant has been issued or if it is proven that this system was disabled in any way within a period of at least thirty-six (36) months from the date of the grant's approval, than that person shall be asked to refund the grant received back to the Authority. This applies for all vehicles converted to autogas during the past years and have benefitted from the grant.

8. Duration of scheme

This scheme shall remain in force until the 31st December, 2019 unless modified or terminated beforehand by a Notice in the Government Gazette. The grant under this scheme shall be capped to 250 eligible applicants. These grant shall be considered as terminated when the respective capping is reached. Notwithstanding, Government may terminate the scheme at any time by giving prior notice.

The scheme may be renewed as deemed necessary by the Minister responsible for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects by a Notice in the Government Gazette.

9. Amendments to the scheme

The Minister responsible for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects may make any amendments to this scheme by a Notice in the Government Gazette.

10. Fraudulent claims

Where a fraudulent claim arises, Transport Malta may institute criminal proceedings against those responsible. In the event of an incorrect payment of a claim, Transport Malta reserves the right to recover funds paid in error.

11. Competent persons

An updated list of competent persons may be obtained from the website of the Regulator for Energy and Water Services (http://downloads.rews.org.mt/files/1698667f-4dda-41a2-8dcd-c3b97614df62_65e6018b-4e84-4931-876a-957a8f976fe4.pdf).

Id-29 ta' Novembu, 2019

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:

                                                                           Gramma                        Gramma