Updated 3.30pm
Billboard licences will soon start being issued by Transport Malta, with costs set to double following the introduction of a new €1,500 fee.
A legal notice to that effect is expected to be passed through parliament this Friday following a public consultation period which began in April 2017, Transport Minister Ian Borg said on Wednesday.
The government hopes the reform will centralise the billboard application process and create clearer lines of communication between the government entities involved.
READ: Run out of billboards? Barriers will do
As things stand, to obtain a billboard an advertiser must apply for a permit from the Planning Authority and pay €1,500 to the Lands Authority for using the public land where the billboard is erected.
But in many cases, Dr Borg said, advertisers were simply getting a PA permit and erecting the billboard, forcing the Lands Authority to chase after debtors for money owed to it.
The government wants to cut down abuse, and under the revised system advertisers will have to provide a PA permit, a payment receipt from the Lands Authority and fork out an additional €1,500 to receive their billboard licence from Transport Malta.
Permit requirements for political parties would remain unchanged, the minister said.
Currently, political parties are exempt from all fees and permitting requirements within an election period, from three months before an election to one week after its conclusion, provided that billboards do not obstruct motorists or cause any environmental damage.
Billboards erected by political parties outside electoral periods are subject to the standard fees and conditions.
The minister was speaking at the Ta' Xbiex marina.
Parliamentary secretary Chris Agius noted that each billboard erected would have to be certified by an engineer and tied to a safety policy.
Billboards reserved for charities and President
The legal notice will also provide NGOs and sports organisations with 10 billboards which will be exempt from payment, with a further 10 reserved for the Office of the President and its various activities.
Transport Malta would decide upon the locations of these pro bono billboards, Dr Borg said.
The minister also warned that authorities were getting ready to crack down on illegal banners which some advertisers used as a way of bypassing billboard regulations.
Fees and guidelines for bike sharing operators
Dr Borg also announced that the government would be introducing guidelines for operators of bike sharing services, to ensure infrastructure was up to scratch and did not obstruct pedestrians or motorists.
Once guidelines are in place, operators will also have to pay a fee, the minister said without disclosing the amounts involved.
Fees would however be minimal, he assured, to help such services be widely adopted.