Regulations, 2021

L.N. 263 of 2021

TRADING LICENCES ACT

(CAP. 441)

COVID-19 Temporary Government Financial Support Measures

Regulations, 2021

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 17 of the

Trading Licences Act, the Minister responsible for commerce, has

made the following regulations:-

(1) The title of these regulations is the COVID-19

Temporary Government Financial Support Measures Regulations,

2021. (2) The scope of these regulations is to issue vouchers under

various schemes in order to sustain, preserve and regenerate their

economic activity in Malta.

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires

"Act" means the Trading Licences Act;

"authorised entity" means an entity authorised by the Minister to

operate and manage the grant, issuance, distribution, and redemption

of the vouchers in accordance with these regulations;

"eligible establishment" means an establishment which was

forced to close pursuant to the Closure of Non-Essential Retail Outlets

and Outlets Providing Non-essential Services Order and the Closure of

Places Open to the Public Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic;

"eligible persons" means anyone who is a resident of Malta and

sixteen (16) years of age as at the date of publication of these

regulations;

"Minister" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the

Act;

"terms and conditions" means the terms and conditions to be issued

together with the vouchers and constituting an integral part of such

vouchers issued by the Minister or any such authorised entity;

"vouchers" means vouchers being issued by the Minister or any

such authorised entity to eligible persons and to be used at eligible

establishments.

Vouchers shall only be used by eligible persons at eligible Use of

vouchers.

establishments.

The Minister may appoint any authorised entity by notice Authorised

in the Gazette for the purposes of enabling such authorised entity to entity.

operate and manage the grant, issuance, distribution, and redemption

of the vouchers as well as assist it with any matter relating to the

vouchers.

Vouchers are freely transferable between eligible persons

Transfer of

vouchers.

Provided that vouchers may not be sold or transferred

against payment whether in cash or in kind.

(1) The Minister or authorised entity shall be entitled to Audit of eligible

carry out an audit of an eligible establishment to ensure compliance by establishments.

that eligible establishment with these regulations.

(2) Eligible establishments shall give all necessary assistance

to the authorised entity for the purposes of conducting the audit.

Eligible establishments shall maintain records of vouchers Record-keeping.

which have been redeemed for a period of one year from the end of the

voucher scheme

Provided that failure by eligible establishments to keep

proper records with regard to the redemption of vouchers shall

constitute a breach of these regulations.

Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of these Offences and

regulations shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction be penalties.

liable to the same penalties established under article 18 of the Act.

For the purposes of article 19 of the Act, the penalty that

the authorised entity may demand in relation to any offence against the

provisions of the Act and any of these regulations shall be of five

hundred euro (€500).

(1) In case of any eligible establishment who is in breach

of these regulations, it shall be lawful for the authorised entity to

suspend any payment due to the eligible establishment until conclusion

of special proceedings established by the Act.

(2) In case of conviction, the court shall order the imposition of

a fine and, or that any payments obtained under these regulations are to

be returned to the authorised entity.

€0.27

(2) L-għan ta’ dawn ir-regolamenti huwa li jinħarġu vawċers

taħt diversi skemi sabiex tiġi sostnuta, ippriżervata u rriġenerata l-

attività ekonomika ġewwa Malta.

2. F’dawn ir-regolamenti, kemm-il darba r-rabta tal-kliem ma Tifsir.

teħtieġx xort’oħra

"Att" tfisser l-Att dwar il-Liċenzi tal-Kummerċ;

"entità awtorizzata" tfisser entità awtorizzata mill-Ministru biex

topera u tmexxi l-għoti, il-ħruġ, id-distribuzzjoni u t-tisrif tal-vawċers

skont dawn ir-regolamenti;

"Ministru" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif mogħtija lilha fl-Att;

"persuni eliġibbli" tfisser kwalunkwe persuna residenti f’Malta li

għandha ’l fuq minn sittax (16)-il sena sad-data tal-pubblikazzjoni ta’

dawn ir-regolamenti;

"stabbiliment eliġibbli" tfisser stabbiliment li ġie mġiegħel

jagħlaq skont l-Ordni dwar l-Għeluq ta’ Ħwienet u Ħwienet ta’ Bejgħ S.L. 465. 60.

mhux Essenzjali li Jipprovdu Servizzi mhux Essenzjali u Ordni dwar l- S.L. 465. 59.

Għeluq ta’ Postijiet Miftuħa għall-Pubbliku minħabba l-pandemija

Covid-19;

"termini u kundizzjonijiet" tfisser it-termini u kundizzjonijiet li

għandhom jinħarġu flimkien mal-vawċers u li jikkostitwixxu parti

integrali ta’ dawn il-vawċers maħruġa mill-Ministru jew kwalunkwe

entità awtorizzata;

"vawċers" tfisser vawċers li qegħdin jinħarġu mill-Ministru jew

kwalunkwe entità awtorizzata lill-persuna eliġibbli u sabiex jintużaw

fi stabbilimenti eliġibbli.

3. Vawċers għandhom jintużaw biss minn persuni eliġibbli fi

stabbilimenti eliġibbli.

4. Il-Ministru jista’ jaħtar kwalunkwe entità awtorizzata

permezz ta’ avviż fil-Gazzetta bil-għan li jippermetti lil dik l-entità

awtorizzata topera u tmexxi l-għoti, il-ħruġ, id-distribuzzjoni u t-tisrif

tal-vawċers kif ukoll tgħin fi kwalunkwe kwistjoni li għandha x’taqsam

mal-vawċers.

5. Vawċers huma trasferibbli liberalment bejn persuni

eliġibbli

Iżda l-vawċers ma jistgħux jinbigħu jew jiġu trasferiti

kemm fi flus kontanti jew in natura.

6. (1) Il-Ministru jew l-entità awtorizzata għandhom ikunu

intitolati jwettqu awditjar ta’ stabbiliment eliġibbli biex jiġi żgurat li

hemm konformità ma’ dawn ir-regolamenti minn tali stabbiliment

eliġibbli.

(2) Stabbilimenti eliġibbli għandhom jagħtu l-għajnuna

neċessarja kollha lill-entità awtorizzata biex tkun tista’ twettaq l-

awditjar.

7. Stabbilimenti eliġibbli għandhom iżommu rekords tal-

vawċers li ġew imsarrfa għal perjodu ta’ sena mit-tmiem tal-iskema

tal-vawċers

Iżda n-nuqqas ta’ kwalunkwe stabbilimenti eliġibbli li

jżomm rekords xierqa fir-rigward tat-tisrif ta’ vawċers jikkostitwixxi

ksur ta’ dawn ir-regolamenti.

8. Kull persuna li tikser xi waħda mid-dispożizzjonijiet ta’

dawn ir-regolamenti għandha tkun ħatja ta’ reat u teħel, meta tinstab

ħatja, għall-istess pieni stabbiliti taħt l-artikolu 18 tal-Att.

9. Għall-finijiet tal-artikolu 19 tal-Att, il-piena li l-entità

awtorizzata tista’ titlob fir-rigward ta’ reati kontra d-dispożizzjonijiet

tal-Att u dawn ir-regolamenti għandha tkun ta’ ħames mitt euro

(€500).

10. (1) F’każ li kwalunkwe stabbiliment eliġibbli ikun

qiegħed jikser dawn ir-regolamenti, l-entità awtorizzata tista’

tissospendi kull pagament dovut lill-istabbiliment eliġibbli sal-

konklużżjoni tal-proċeduri speċjali stabbiliti taħt l-Att.

(2) F’każ ta’ ħtija, il-qorti għandha tordna l-impożizzjoni ta’

multa jew, u li kwalunkwe pagament miksub taħt dawn ir-regolamenti

għandu jiġu ritornat lill-entità awtorizzata.

L.N. 263 of 2021

TRADING LICENCES ACT

(CAP. 441)

COVID-19 Temporary Government Financial Support Measures

Regulations, 2021

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 17 of the

Trading Licences Act, the Minister responsible for commerce, has

made the following regulations:-

1. (1) The title of these regulations is the COVID-19

Temporary Government Financial Support Measures Regulations,

2021. (2) The scope of these regulations is to issue vouchers under

various schemes in order to sustain, preserve and regenerate their

economic activity in Malta.

2. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires

"Act" means the Trading Licences Act;

"authorised entity" means an entity authorised by the Minister to

operate and manage the grant, issuance, distribution, and redemption

of the vouchers in accordance with these regulations;

"eligible establishment" means an establishment which was

forced to close pursuant to the Closure of Non-Essential Retail Outlets

and Outlets Providing Non-essential Services Order and the Closure of

Places Open to the Public Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic;

"eligible persons" means anyone who is a resident of Malta and

sixteen (16) years of age as at the date of publication of these

regulations;

"Minister" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it in the

Act;

"terms and conditions" means the terms and conditions to be issued

together with the vouchers and constituting an integral part of such

vouchers issued by the Minister or any such authorised entity;

"vouchers" means vouchers being issued by the Minister or any

such authorised entity to eligible persons and to be used at eligible

establishments.

3. Vouchers shall only be used by eligible persons at eligible Use of

vouchers.

establishments.

4. The Minister may appoint any authorised entity by notice Authorised

in the Gazette for the purposes of enabling such authorised entity to entity.

operate and manage the grant, issuance, distribution, and redemption

of the vouchers as well as assist it with any matter relating to the

vouchers.

5. Vouchers are freely transferable between eligible persons

Transfer of

vouchers.

Provided that vouchers may not be sold or transferred

against payment whether in cash or in kind.

6. (1) The Minister or authorised entity shall be entitled to Audit of eligible

carry out an audit of an eligible establishment to ensure compliance by establishments.

that eligible establishment with these regulations.

(2) Eligible establishments shall give all necessary assistance

to the authorised entity for the purposes of conducting the audit.

7. Eligible establishments shall maintain records of vouchers Record-keeping.

which have been redeemed for a period of one year from the end of the

voucher scheme

Provided that failure by eligible establishments to keep

proper records with regard to the redemption of vouchers shall

constitute a breach of these regulations.

8. Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of these Offences and

regulations shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction be penalties.

liable to the same penalties established under article 18 of the Act.

9. For the purposes of article 19 of the Act, the penalty that

the authorised entity may demand in relation to any offence against the

provisions of the Act and any of these regulations shall be of five

hundred euro (€500).

10. (1) In case of any eligible establishment who is in breach

of these regulations, it shall be lawful for the authorised entity to

suspend any payment due to the eligible establishment until conclusion

of special proceedings established by the Act.

(2) In case of conviction, the court shall order the imposition of

a fine and, or that any payments obtained under these regulations are to

be returned to the authorised entity.

€0.27