The real estate sector in Malta has been customarily regarded as the backbone for a substantial part of the Maltese economic activity. Consequently, a number of fiscal incentives have been announced from time to time to incentivize certain aspects of the immovable property market. The fiscal aspects relating to property transactions are typically wide in nature and depend upon the particular aspects of the transactions, the location of the property, holding period, previous transactions concerning the same property and other particularities concerning the individual circumstances of the buyer and the seller.

In this scenario participants in the property market need to evaluate the prospective tax considerations on a transaction by transaction basis. The seminar shall outline the general aspects of the regulatory framework concerning taxation relative to the immovable property market. The tax issues of a number of transactions shall be reviewed from a property transfer tax perspective and a duty aspect. A number of examples shall be presented.