TAX EVASION (OH DEAR, YOU NEED HELP!)

Around this time, every year, newspaper editors are struck down by a peculiar strain of virus which makes them prone to delirious outbursts on tax evasion, luxury boats and fast cars.

In the bygone days of New Labour, the ailment caused your Orizzont counterpart to talk in strange tongues, often referring to the matter with sheepish diplomacy as `fiscal morality' and pontificating with the fervour of born again Christians aiming for beatification.

Last year, still hyper from his Party's election victory, the Nazzjon editor went ballistic, declaring outright war…Gwerra lill-evazzjoni fiskali. Thereafter, the poor man never really recovered and rambled on in his bellicose delusions on a number of issues…Gwerra kontra il-kriminalita …Gwerra kontra id-droga…must have thought he was Napoloeon.

This year, unfortunately, it was your turn to cop the bug, which bug, has sadly wasted you into writing your leader `Tax Evasion' TMI 11/10/99.

Now, I would have played bets that being independent, you carried enough immunity in your system against this terrible affliction More often than not, it usually strikes at political editors, leaders of Workers Unions and, to a lesser degree, past and present ministers of finance round budget time. However, don't panic… nowadays there are remedies for most ailments.

For starters, I shall recommend group therapy, wherein you sit in a circle with other afflicted editors and talk about pent-up frustrations and problems encountered from childhood to adulthood. This might just do the trick to snap you out of your (eer?) taxing predicament. And, when you eventually start coming round and feeling better, please go ahead and test your recovery by taking another pot-shot at the tiger. This time, for heaven's sake, try aiming between its eyes.

On the subject of tax evasion, please start off by disregarding anything said by our amiable political class. Remember, it's good mileage to be seen making waves chasing the little guys for their pennies.

If you think that I'm talking gibberish, then, please go ahead and read the parliamentary debates heralding the re-introduction of VAT. These debates saw both sides of the house fighting like lions on every minor trivial detail. This, however, did not detract them from agreeing like soul brothers to exempt one particular class of business from the bother of an audit trail, thus enabling the sharks to continue gorging themselves in a frenzy off this land. Yes, off this land…no mistake there!

And to prevent a future relapse, do try hard to forget the luxury boats and fast cars. Needles in haystacks are more readily traceable in this country than the ownership of some assets. Please console yourself that these assets embellish our marinas and streets.

Malcolm Caire - Qawra