The government confirms Ċaqnu got a great tax deal in statement denying he has

The full details are here. Times of Malta this morning reported, Charles Polidano got a huge chunk of the €40 million tax bill he’s been accumulating since the 1990s shaved off. They reported he made a down-payment and entered into an agreement to pay the rest over time. But some of it was also taken off on the back of a swap with some of the lands he owns that the government says it will use for some vague social purpose.

Then the Finance Ministry issued a flat denial. There was a lot of “categorically denies” this and “manifestly unfounded” there in their statement.

But after all that, the Finance Ministry’s statement goes on to say that Charles Polidano got a huge chunk off the €40 million tax bill he’s been accumulating since the 1990s shaved off. They reported he made a down-payment and made an agreement to pay the rest over time. But some of it was also taken off on the back of a swap with some of the lands he owns to be used for some vague social purpose.

Quit the gaslighting, won’t you? Instead, now prepare a standard speech for your tax officials when they chase people for a few hundred euro they owe in tax and explain to them that they need to rack up a bill of €40 million before they get a nice big discount like iċ-Ċaqnu did.

Consider that they gave iċ-Ċaqnu a repayment agreement even though he’s been on the far end of a half-hearted chase for a quarter of a century. They might categorically deny that, but they categorically confirmed it.

Consider that they swapped some of the money he owed with land in an obscure arrangement. They might categorically deny that, but they categorically confirmed it.

Consider that they have made €12 million of due tax disappear like it was never owed. Let that sink in. Twelve bloody million. They might categorically deny that, but they categorically confirmed it.

The Finance Ministry said that “the Times of Malta has unfortunately failed to verify the facts before publishing a story based on incorrect assertions.” Be that as it may, the facts are now confirmed by the Finance Ministry. But it likely would never have done so if Times of Malta had not run the story this morning.

And my questions of this morning stand. Morons.