The government has hit back at claims by the Opposition that millions are being recklessly splashed out on movies being made in Malta. The Ministry of Tourism, in a statement, said the Opposition has no idea how incentives work.
The Opposition has no idea how the cash rebate incentive offered to the film industry works at the same time as it continued with a systematic attack on the same industry to show that it only cares about losing work for Maltese and Gozitians in films, destroying the investment, and all the successes that have been achieved in the industry.
The Opposition does not know that every film that benefits from a cash rebate is subject to a rigorous audit by a company independent from the Government, and it is only after the production passes the scrutiny that the cash rebate is approved in compliance with rules Europeans. It is the serious scrutiny of this scheme that strengthens the reputation of our country in this regard and continues to ensure the work and the creation of works linked to the film industry in Malta.
Malta’s cash rebate ensures the competitiveness of our country in the global film market and it is surreal that the Opposition wants to cap the cash rebate, which means limiting work in our country with risk that the industry will once again end up with shocks, the works will be lost and the Maltese and Gozitian crew will go to register. Today there are more than 1,300 people working in films and this industry benefits from back-to-back productions that are creating many jobs for Maltese and Gozitain workers. It is precisely the cash rebate that ensures that the great majority of workers on these films are Maltese.
The Opposition showed that it has no idea how the cash rebate works when it alleged that Malta’s cash rebate is issued on money that a production has not spent in Malta, that is on a production that costs a total of €100 million and the production decides to spend only €30 million in Malta, our country gives back €40 million and ends up with a deficit of €10 million. This is another absurd fabrication of an Opposition that is lying or does not know how things are done. Faced with the dangerous behavior of an irresponsible Opposition, the Government remains committed to continuing to invest in the film industry, incentivize work, and create a sustainable industry that everyone can enjoy.
