It was recently announced that every tourist coming to Malta, once the borders open up, will be receiving up to €200 of our tax money.

Many of these travellers will be youngsters coming to Malta to party in large numbers, creating, once again, the occasion for super spreaders of COVID-19 and bringing new variants back to our islands.

Others will be families who have suffered over one year of lockdowns in European countries.

A third group will be pensioners who are longing to come to visit Malta’s cultural treasures.

All of these are welcome to come and visit.

However, there are equally a large number of Maltese youngsters who would love to travel to Amsterdam, London or Milan to party or to watch European football matches too.

There are Maltese families with children who have suffered over one year of lockdown and loneliness.

There are many Maltese pensioners who would love to visit the Louvre, Prado or summer festivals in Glyndebourne or other cultural sites on the continent or just go on a shopping spree.

I do not see Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Thailand, Kenya or Bahamas paying me €200 to take a holiday there- John Vassallo

Why should our tax money be given to foreigners to take a holiday and not, instead, to Maltese whose money it really is?

If foreigners want to come to our islands they are welcome but should pay for the trip.

Let us say that, because of COVID-19, only 15,000 tourists will visit Malta every month in the summer. If each of these were to receive €200, that would cost the Maltese taxpayer €3 million per month.

Every month, the government, lobbied by the tourism industry, will allocate or waste €3 million on giving enjoyment to foreigners and not helping our own citizens. Even depriving us of €3 million that are needed for the poor, for housing, for healthcare services.

Today, over 400 people have died of COVID-19 in Malta. If half of the €3 million were to be given to the families of the victims as a grant of €3,750 per family to compensate for the loss and suffering they have suffered, that would be a very worthy use of our tax money. The other half, or €1,500,000,  should be given to nurses, doctors and other staff in our intensive care units in our hospitals in Malta and Gozo to thank them for the efforts they have made to save as many patients as possible during the last year as well as for the sacrifices they made with overtime, stress and distancing from their own families.

Enough with fawning to foreigners! They are welcome to visit us but they should pay for the pleasure and for the services they receive in our ‘high quality’ hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and beach clubs.

I forbid you to spend the money I have paid in tax on my small pension, income after a long lifetime of work to citizens of other countries.

Let those countries take care of their citizens.

I do not see Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Thailand, Kenya or Bahamas paying me €200 to take a holiday there. Their citizens would be up in arms at such a thought, after a full year of public spending and borrowing caused by COVID-19.

John Vassallo, former Ambassador to the EU