Tista’ taqra dan l-artiklu bil-Malti hawn.
A 64-year-old woman residing in Bormla might be the luckiest person in Malta, or part of a scam, as her VAT fiscal receipts were drawn among the monthly winners in the lottery at least 13 times since January 2021.
The woman’s ‘luck’ was particularly evident in the latest lottery draw held by finance ministry officials last month. She won four times in one draw with 3 million receipts, earning close to €2,500 from public funds in one month alone. The amount of money won depends on the value of the receipts.
Experienced professionals told The Shift that it is “mathematically impossible” for the same participant to have so many wins in a lottery with millions of tickets.
“We do not like to speculate as we have no proof, but it is quite obvious that something is very wrong with this lottery.”
“If the finance minister wanted any concrete evidence to confirm what everyone already knows, he just has to look at the June result in which tickets with identity card number 791558M were extracted four times in the same draw. That is impossible if things were right.”
Despite glaring concerns, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has not taken any action. He is also refusing to reply to questions.
Asked by The Shift whether he is at least aware of allegations that the VAT lottery is being tampered with, the minister remained silent.
Launched in the 90s when then-Finance Minister John Dalli introduced the VAT taxation system that the Labour Party in opposition had turned into a political issue, the lottery was intended as an incentive for taxpayers to collect their receipts. It was a measure to fight tax evasion.
The public was encouraged to send their VAT receipts to the then Lotto Department every month to participate in a lottery in which some €60,000 in monthly prizes were up for grabs.
Several receipts were drawn every month during a televised event, with winners getting 100 times the value of their tickets in cash. Tickets were drawn until the €60,000 monthly cap was reached – some 30 ticket winners a month.
The lottery stopped being televised and allegations of rampant abuse during the draw have been making the rounds for years.
In 2018, a report by the National Audit Office found flaws in the monthly draw, including the size of the urn for the draw being too small for the fiscal receipts to be adequately shuffled.
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#Finance Minister Clyde Caruana
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#rigged
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I believe that the mechanism of this initiative is now outdated and requires a total revamp. But I would still promote something similar in order to continue encouraging the collection of receipts.
Dear Shift Team,
please let me put it this way:
Clyde Caruana occupies a special position and the shabby cabinet of ROBBER Abela. It is clear that he refuses to testify on this, considering the nonsense he has uttered this year alone.
Actually, this would also be a case for AG Victoria Buttigieg and/or Police Commissioner Angelo Gafá, who would probably be overburdened with it.
OMG poor Malta,
best Klaus
The draw for this lottery should be held on LIVE TV as with the other Maltco lotteries for all the general public to view and verify. Truth or Dare?
Another observation is that the amount on the receipts if fairly low for all of them thus making the receipts to be very small ones as opposed to longer ones usually issued from the supermarkets. Coincidence or what?
Foul play everywhere. Disgusting.
Must admit we are witnessing a miracle in real life!!!!!!
Hallelin, shame. Don’t try to fool us. Not all Maltese are idiots.
Does an ID card ending in an A ever drawn out? Just asking for an Alien ??
It is said that the postman does not knock twice and that lighting does not strike twice in the same place.
BUT it seems that Lady Luck can do far better than that – striking even FOUR times in one single month and THIRTEEN times altogether in eighteen consecutive ones!”.
As we say locally, “Imbierka l-providenza tal-Mulej”
wow
i think the small fish wants to participate in the routine rape of tax payers money.Or could it be a diversation to hide and protect the sharks ?
Disgrace of a country
The Minister should scrap this lottery and invest in Vat Inspectors. For Restaurants, Retail Shops, Construction related works, all service industry, etc. etc.. vat receipts does not exist. If inspections are done well, more millions will be collected every month. The black economy in our country is out of reach. That is why there is lot of cash in hand.
Same ID card appears in the Nov 2021 and Nov 2020. Oh wow.
ONCE THIS INCOMPETENT LABOUR GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED. ITS CORRUPTED. IT’S IN THEIR DNA.
Absolutely disgusting. And no one from the Lotto Department raised the alarm??? KORROTTI to the core.
What a pity that Shift does not have an online video version of Stricia La Notizia. Clyde would have won more tha a dozen Tappiri d?Oro
Would rather have my own tax back thanks. Pay enough to employ someone part time.
there are the smart ones who are the ones who steal …
A different id card number to the one mentioned in this article won multiple times. 2019 Nov x 1, 2020 Mar x 1, Jul x 1, Oct x 1, 2021 Mar x 1, Jun x 1, Oct x 1, Nov x 1, Dec x 1, 2022 Jan x 1, Feb x 2, Apr x 3.
Impossible odds? Not when the lottery is rigged.
But most Maltese are GAHAN!!!
Imbierka l-generosita tal-Kaxxa ta’ Malta – flus tal-Maltin!!!
Nope…..I’ve been sending my receipts for months now…I’m not sure someone puts them in the urn, when they see the ID card number ending in A 🙁
Once i went to put mine in the urn and a man camexwith two full up plastic bags.The urn was already full up just a few space.he pressed his contents and obviously he will be a winner.Either make a bigger one or more and when full to a certain level lock it.
This is the reason why I don’t send VAT receipts any more. I stopped doing this more than two years ago. No point in sending them as there is no chance of winning. I suggest most people do the same. Just a waste of time and stamps (as I send them by post)
Indeed !
Even the computer has learned the tricks of corruption. As long as I am not concerned why should I bother?
I never sent any in. Why? What is the use of participating in screening corruption? Millions of receipts, the umpteenth case of rigging. I would rather share a good bottle of Champagne with my Lady Luck than have the most remote connection with this corruption.
Wow, even with evidence no one looks to change the system. It probably is working as designed.
My daughter has been sending VAT tickets since its inception.These amount into thousands. Not once did she ever won a cent! Something fishy? Who knows!0
I actually wrote to the Finance Minister about 2 months ago as yet another super lucky person got 3 receipts drawn. Obviously, not even an acknowledgement!
Quite a few years ago, they had uncovered some abuse and over 10 person’s were named in this scam, yet we never heard the result of the inquiry. The sharks and the ‘makku’ are at it too…..corruption!
How many times do you think the lucky winner will win this year?
Or was the lucky streak just snapped?
I think that we hit rock bottom a long time ago. And, further below the bottomless pit if it is proven that the allegations of tampering are true. Many a time, I was told that the VAT receipts posted at the local Lotto Office are simply thrown away.
Wonder of wonders, yet again in June’s Fiscal receipts lottery there’s a ‘ lucky ‘ winner who coincidentally had 2 receipts drawn. This is happening frequently, practically every month, and yet the Finance Ministry remains mum, after all it’s from there that the winnings are paid!
jiena smajt li hemm qassis wkoll li dejjem jirbah u mux mijiet eluf. qaluli wkoll li il paruccani jitfawlu ir receipts fil kanestru qabel jidhlu il knisja . tahseb li dan huwa abbuz wkoll
Why I am do bothering to write on the fiscal receipt when it seems that they are being tempered with. I always had my doubts if my receipts are really being out in the urn. Now we have a confirmation. It is disgusting, everything that has to do with this government is corrupt. We need a change a big change. We are fed up