Russian President Vladimir Putin this afternoon signed a decree suspending Russia’s double taxation agreements with what he called “unfriendly countries”, including Malta.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that Putin has suspended a total of 38 tax treaties with countries that have imposed sanctions against Moscow.
The measure had been proposed by Russia’s finance ministry and foreign ministry in March.
Western countries have imposed successive waves of economic sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, which it prefers to call a “special military operation”.
The list includes EU member states, as well as countries such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Singapore, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia.
Putin instructed the Russian Foreign Ministry to notify the “unfriendly countries” of the suspension of the provisions of their tax treaties. The Russian government will next submit a Bill to the Duma for approval.
Putin’s decree states it was “Based on the need to take urgent measures in connection with the commission of unfriendly actions by a number of foreign states against the Russian Federation, its citizens and legal entities.”
Malta and Russia signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income in April 2013. It was updated in 2020.
Malta presumably made it onto Putin’s list of foes by virtue of its EU membership and the associated sanctions Malta has had to impose on Russia.
The Maltese government has otherwise been seen as somewhat friendly to Russia when it comes to approving and enforcing those sanctions.
Malta, Cyprus and Greece recently banded together against the EU’s newest round of sanctions against Russia that banned oil tankers from EU ports if they previously engaged in the transhipment of Russian oil in violation of the barrel price cap imposed by the G7.
Malta is also the EU’s laggard when it comes to freezing the assets of sanctioned Russians and Russian companies.
In April, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, on a visit to Malta, said he was “surprised” that Malta had only frozen €220,000 in Russian-owned assets in its territory. He said he would be seeking an explanation from the Maltese government about why the figure was so low.
A badge of the highest honour to be counted by Putin as ‘unfriendly to Russia”
He can also go and hang himself, if he is bored with so many countries he considers as hostile!
Could this be an auto goal for the Russians who invest heavily in EU countries?
Mhux ser nikumenta jekk Puttin ghandux ragun jew le, izda bid demokrazija li tiftahar tant bija l Ewropa trattat ta indipendenza bejn Russja u Ukranja ghal Ewropa jiswa daqs karta tal incova. Qed naraw kemm bis sanzjonijiet u l armamenti li qed tibghat kemm waqfuha l gwerra. Il paci u l ftehim jintalahaq biss bl honesta u is sens kommun u mhux thali lil min irid jaqla l inkwiet jinqeda bik Miss Metsola u Miss Von der Lyon
Il-paci jista jintlahaq biss meta Putin jifhem li ma ghandhu l-ebda dritt ghall dak li ma huwiex tieghu, u jrodd lura dak li seraq, anke fi-zminijiet mhux immedjati!
Mela ma tafx li trattat jew ftehiem li sar fi zmien Gorbachov bejn Russja u Ukranja kien li l Ukranja ma ghandiex tisiheb man Nato u issa jigi dal puppaz ta Zelenski u ibidel u jaghmel l affarijiet bil kontra. Tiftakar meta ir Russja baghtet il missili Kuba kemm qomsu l Amerikani u kellhom ragun.
Jien ma jien xejn izda is sens kommun jghidli tressaqx in nar hdejn it tiben.