Government adopts Green Party\u2019s tourism tax proposal, ADPD says<\/p>\n
The Maltese government has officially moved to adopt a long-standing proposal by ADPD-The Green Party regarding the allocation of the environmental contribution paid by tourists, the party said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli recently acknowledged the need for local councils to receive a direct share of this eco-tax, announcing that 50 cents from the latest increase will be funneled directly into local council coffers. For years, Green Party activists and residents in high-tourism areas have argued that the communities bearing the brunt of mass tourism deserve direct financial support to manage the resulting pressure on local infrastructure and quality of life.<\/p>\n
The shift in policy highlights a significant political irony centered in St. Paul’s Bay. In August 2025, ADPD Chairperson and local councillor Sandra Gauci formally introduced a motion requesting that eco-tax revenue generated in the locality stay within the community to address issues like waste management and maintenance.<\/p>\n
While the motion eventually passed the council, Labour Party councillors at the local level reportedly met the proposal with hostility, insults, and a negative vote. Now, just months later, the national Labor administration has embraced the same concept as a central pillar of their local government strategy.<\/p>\n
While ADPD has welcomed the move as a victory for local democracy, the party remains critical of the implementation. Green Party officials argue that the 50-cent allocation is a modest sum that fails to reflect the true cost of infrastructure wear, noise pollution, and environmental degradation caused by over-tourism.<\/p>\n
They suggest that while the government has finally accepted the validity of the Green Party’s vision, the timing of the announcement-coming on the eve of an election-suggests political expediency rather than a total shift in philosophy. For the residents of Malta’s busiest coastal towns, the move represents a long-overdue admission that the current model of mass tourism requires a more sustainable financial balance.<\/p>\n