Government announces €12 million in schemes for enterprises which remained closed during pandemic

Three new schemes to help businesses which were forced to shut their doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been announced by the government.

The three schemes, which are part of the government’s economic recovery plan, will together see an investment of €12 million.

The schemes were announced on Thursday by Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli and the CEO of Malta Enterprise Kurt Farrugia.

“We simplified the process as much as possible, so that any business which was impacted can recover faster,” Farrugia said.

On her part, Dalli said that the schemes cost €12 million when combined, and are “part of the economic recovery plan the Government has laid out.”

One-time cash grant

The first scheme is a one-time grant, where a cash grant of €1,000 is given to those businesses which remained closed after 10 May 2021 as per Legal Notices issued by the Health Authority and are in receipt of the Wage Supplement.

An email will be sent out to potential eligible businesses containing a link to a simple application process, Farrugia explained. These emails should start being sent as of Friday.

Malta Enterprise will simply process the grant in due course with funds being sent directly to the business’ bank accounts.

Rent refund scheme

Businesses which had to close their operations as a result of government legal notices in March 2021 are eligible for a rent refund scheme.

Businesses which have been receiving the wage supplement since 2020 and availed themselves of the Rent Refund Scheme in 2020, will also be eligible for a top-up of 50% on the amount they received last year.

New applicants who were closed in March and April 2020, and benefited from the wage supplement are eligible for the Rent Refund scheme in accordance with the following cappings:

• If a business has 1 to 9 employees receiving the wage supplement, there is one eligible rental agreement with a maximum support of €1,250;
• If a business has 10 to 19 employees receiving wage supplement, there are two eligible rental agreements with a maximum support of €2,000;
• If a business has 20 to 29 employees receiving wage supplement, there are three eligible rental agreements with a maximum support of €2,750;
• If a business has 30 to 39 employees receiving wage supplement, there are four eligible rental agreements with a maximum support of €3,500;
• If a business has 40 and over employees receiving wage supplement, there are five eligible rental agreements with a maximum support of €3,750.

In terms of the application process, businesses which received a rent refund for 2020 and whose rent contract is still valid (not expired or updated) will not need to resubmit copies of their contract. Meanwhile, businesses which only received a wage supplement during March and April 2021 will be invited to apply for the Rent Refund Scheme covering rent costs incurred in 2021.

The Rent Scheme 2021 email shall be sent to all eligible applicants (both new and already registered) in around mid-July.

Dalli said that the rent scheme alone will cost €7 million.

Electricity Refund scheme

This scheme also applies to those businesses which closed down in March and April 2021, and covers 50% of the electricity bill for June to August 2021.

Applicants who only benefitted from the wage supplement in March and April 2021 will need to submit a full application. An email will be sent out in the coming months through which the eligible applicants will be directed to the application.

• If a business has 1 to 9 employees receiving the wage supplement, there is one eligible electricity account with a maximum support of €1,500 per annum;
• If a business has 10 to 19 employees receiving the wage supplement, there are two eligible electricity accounts with a maximum support of €3,000 per annum;
• If a business has 20 to 29 employees receiving the wage supplement, there are three eligible electricity accounts with a maximum support of €4,500 per annum;
• If a business has 30 to 39 employees receiving the wage supplement, there are four eligible electricity accounts with a maximum support of €6,000 per annum;
• If a business has 40 employees or over receiving the wage supplement, there are five eligible electricity accounts with a maximum support of €7,500 per annum.

Applicants who have benefitted from the Electricity Refund scheme last year will experience a simpler application process, Farrugia said.

Those who have an ARMS account do not need to re-upload copies of their paid bills.

For more information, one is encouraged to visit regeneration.maltaenterprise.com, call 144, or send an email on regeneration@maltaenterprise.com.