Insights

Article 135(1)(b) to (g) of the VAT Directive exempts credit, guarantees, payments and transfers, dealings in securities, and the management of special investment funds. In Malta, this is transposed through the Fifth Schedule to the VAT Act (Cap. 406).

Employee share options are a common tool for attracting and retaining talent, but their Maltese tax treatment catches many employees and employers by surprise, largely because the tax point falls at exercise rather than at grant or vesting. This article summarises how each stage of the lifecycle of a share option is taxed under Maltese law.

In today’s business environment, audited financial statements promote transparency, accountability, and stakeholder confidence. The auditor’s opinion, presented at the beginning of the report, communicates the audit outcome and level of assurance.

Although both cash flow and profit are indicators of a company’s financial health, they are not mutually exclusive metrics. Indeed, oftentimes one comes across cash-rich business who are showing a loss in their profit and loss or profitable ventures who suffer from a lack of cash. To understand why this happens, one must look at what both profits and cash mean and understand how, rather than just measuring one or the other, a business can use both to ensure its success in the

Item 1, Part Two of the Fifth Schedule to the VAT Act, provides that the letting of immovable property is treated as an exempt without credit supply. In practical terms, as a default rule, a landlord renting out premises on a long let neither charges VAT on the rent nor recovers input VAT on costs such as renovation works, maintenance,

When Maltese businesses think of audits, they often associate them solely with statutory filings submitted to the Malta Business Registry (MBR). In practise, however, audits serve far more than compliance.

Financial statements are more than just numbers on paper. They tell the story of a company’s performance, decisions, strengths, and challenges over a period of time. Just as a book reveals the journey of its characters, financial statements reveal the journey of a business.

Due diligence tends to be considered as part of bureaucracy, but it’s actually about something much simpler: knowing who you’re doing business with. Who are they? Where did their money come from? And does the relationship actually make sense?

Malta Enterprise has officially renewed the Micro Invest Scheme until 31 December 2030, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the growth, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malta and Gozo.

An entity’s financial statements are normally prepared on a going concern assumption. This means that the company is expected to continue operating for the ‘foreseeable future’, meaning, at least 12 months from the reporting date.

Malta Enterprise has officially renewed the Micro Invest Scheme until 31 December 2030, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the growth, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malta and Gozo.

In the landscape of corporate finance, an undertaking generally funds its operations through two primary channels: borrowing (debt) or owner investment (equity).

Let me be honest with you — when I first started seeing automation tools creep into us industry, I wasn’t sure whether to be excited or worried. As a firm based here in Malta, we work closely with businesses of all sizes, and bookkeeping has always been at the heart of what keeps those businesses running. So, when the conversation around automation began getting louder, we paid close attention.

On the 23rd January 2026, the long-awaited legal notice 20 of 2026 introducing the Tax Treatment of Highly Skilled Individuals Rules was published. The new programme replaces existing incentive regimes mainly the Highly Qualified Persons Rules, but keeps the main features of the previous programmes, namely the 15% flat tax rate on qualifying employment income.

Linking Numbers to Strategy: The Role of Management Accounting

Many Malta-based groups operate internationally through subsidiaries, SPVs, holding companies, or overseas operations. In such cases, businesses may be required to prepare consolidated financial statements, which often require an audit of the consolidated accounts.

Malta's Remittance Basis of Taxation for Individuals

The EU General Court’s judgment in case T-646/24, delivered on 3 December 2025, clarified the application of the VAT simplification regime for triangular transactions within complex intra-EU supply chains. The case addressed whether this simplification, typically applicable to three parties (the ABC scheme), could also apply to chains involving four operators (a “quadrangular transaction”).