The on-line Income Tax Return Calculator

 

The main objective of this application is to enable a web user to calculate the tax due while filling out the income tax return.

 

When completing the on-line Income Tax Return it is recommended that you use the booklet that was supplied to you when you received the actual Income Tax Return from the Inland Revenue Department.

 

Currently the marital status is defaulted to Single, but can be modified by choosing the required status from those shown in the drop down list.  If ‘Married’ is selected you may enter information related to the income earned by your spouse.

 

The source of income can be selected by ticking the box next to one or more of the following options:

 

Employment

Tick if you (or your spouse) earn income from employment

Trade or Business

Tick if you earn income from a trade, business, profession or vocation activity

Pension

Tick if you earn income from a pension (whether local or overseas)

Other Income

Tick if you earn income from dividends, interests, capital gains, rents etc

 

The number of pages that will be displayed (and filled in) depends on the sources of income selected and therefore it is recommended that the correct sources of income are selected beforehand.  This will make sure that only the required pages are displayed making it easier to fill in the Tax Return.

 

For instance, if ‘Other Income’ only is selected as a source of income, only the items related to ‘Other income’ will be displayed for the calculation.

 

When the ‘Start’ button is clicked and the relevant income details will be displayed. Each of  these is explained in more detail below.

 

Emolument and Business Income Section

 

  -   Employment or Office                                                                         

 

In this section you must include the gross income received during the year in question from employment or office. This should include:

 

·         Salary and wages

·         Statutory bonus and other bonuses

·         Overtime payments

·         Fringe Benefits

·         Other payments and allowances, including any commissions

 

For each separate source of income from employment or office enter the PE number of the payer in the ‘Detail’ field. Include the gross emolument amount shown on the FS3 provided by your payer in the ‘Amount’ field.

 

Employment Income earned by yourself will be entered under the ‘Self’ column, whilst that of your spouse (if any) will be entered under the ‘Spouse’ column.

 

Director’s Fees

 

Include here any Director’s Fees received by yourself or your spouse.  Note that in the case of a married couple, any director’s fees will be added to the total employment income of the responsible taxpayer as they do not qualify for separate computation.

 

  -   Trade, Business, Profession, etc                                                                  

 

In the fields provided you must declare the net profit for the basis year from all trade, business, profession and vocation activities.

 

For each source of trade, business, profession or vocation you must provide the VAT number in the Detail field and the net profit earned in the Amount field.

 

In the case of a loss indicate the amount accompanied with a negative sign in front of the amount

 

Trade & Business Income earned by yourself is to be entered under the ‘Self’ column whilst that of your spouse (if any) is to be entered under the ‘Spouse’ column.

 

  -   Pensions and Social Security Benefits                                                         

 

Include the PE number or other reference number of the pension provider in the Detail field and the gross income received from each local and overseas pension in the Amount field.

 

Social Security Pension

 

Pension income received from the Department of Social Security should be entered here for yourself and your spouse (if any) in the ‘Self’ and ‘Spouse’ columns respectively.  Remember that the PE Number of the Department of Social Security is 732913 (to be entered in the ‘Detail’ field).

 

Treasury Pension

 

Any pension received from the Treasury Department by yourself and your spouse (if any) should be declared in the Treasury Pension fields under the ‘Self’ and ‘Spouse’ columns respectively.  The PE Number of the Treasury Department is 952449 (to be entered in the ‘Detail’ field).

 

Other Local Pension

 

Enter the amount of pension derived from a local source in the ‘Other Local Pension’ field.  Remember to enter amounts received by yourself under the ‘Self’ column and that received by your spouse (if any) under the ‘Spouse’ Column.

 

Overseas Pension

 

Enter the amount of pension derived from an overseas payer in the ‘Other Overseas Pension’ field.

 

Social Security Benefits

 

Social Security Benefits, e.g. Unemployment Benefit or Sickness Benefit are taxable and are to be included here.

 

  -   Allowable Deductions                                                                          

 

Allowable deductions (if any) against emoluments to be deducted are to be inserted in the Allowable deductions field.

 

If the tax status selected is married you must declare any allowable deductions for the responsible spouse in the ‘Self’ column and allowable deductions (if any) for the other spouse in the ‘Spouse’ column

 

  -   Deductions / Exemptions under the Business Promotion Act 2001      

 

The Business Promotion Act allows for certain deductions or exemptions for income tax purposes to eligible individuals, mainly individual members of a partnership.  Individuals who may be eligible under the said Act to apply for such deductions or exemptions should enter the amount claimed in the space provided.

 

Investment, Capital Gains and Other Income

 

 

  -   Local Investment Income                                                                              

 

Local Dividends

 

Local dividends need not be declared unless a credit for tax deducted at source is being claimed.

Enter the total gross amount of local dividends in the relevant field.

 

Local Interest

 

All local interest income that did not suffer tax deductions at source must be included in the “Local Interest’ field.

 

Interest income from local banks which has already suffered 15% Tax need not be declared in your tax return. If however, you are a low income earner it might be to your advantage to deduct the tax withheld at source from local interest in which case you will need to declare the gross interest amount in the ‘Local Interest’ field.  This applies only for interests earned up to 31/12/2001

 

Non-residents should note that their local interest income is exempt from income tax in Malta.

 

  -   Foreign Investment Income                                                              

         

Foreign Dividends

 

If you are domiciled and ordinarily resident in Malta you must declare all foreign dividends and foreign interest income. All other taxpayers (i.e. not domiciled or not ordinarily resident in Malta) are required to declare only foreign dividends and foreign interests which were remitted to Malta.

 

Include in the ‘Foreign Dividends’ field the total amount of gross foreign dividends (in Maltese Liri).

 

Foreign Interest

 

Include in the ‘Foreign Interest’ field the total amount of gross foreign interest (in Maltese Liri).

 

Please note that foreign currency accounts held locally are not to be included in this field but in the ‘Local Interest’ field.

 

  -   Rental Income                                                                                      

 

Rents (receivable)

 

In this field include any gross rents, premiums, key money, laudemia and any other such gross receipts arising from property

 

Ground Rents (receivable)

 

The total income from ground rents received should be entered in the ‘Income from ground rent’ field.

 

  -   Capital Gains Income                                                                          

 

In this field you must include the net amount of taxable capital gains derived during the basis year.

 

Taxable capital gains arise from the transfer of the ownership or usufruct of or from the assignment or concession of any rights over, any immovable property, securities, business goodwill, copyright, patents, trademarks and trade names.

 

Where in a particular year a capital loss results, this amount may not be set off against other income. It can be set off only against future capital gains. You are to keep a note of any such capital loss which may have resulted in order to claim it against future capital gains (if any) in a subsequent year.

 

Capital gains realized on transfers of immovable property obtained through an inheritance are exempt from tax.

 

  -   Income received from alimony                                                                     

 

If you received any income from your spouse as alimony payment in respect of yourself and/or your children, such income is taxable and should be included in the space provided.

 

  -   Other Income                                                                                       

 

In this field you must include any other income to be declared which has not been included elsewhere in your tax calculator.

 

Examples of ‘Other Income’ include:

·         Casual receipts (e.g. from electoral duties, invigilation, examiner’s fees, radio and TV participation etc.)

·         Royalties

 

 

Deductions

 

 

  -   Ground Rents                                                                                        

 

Ground Rents (payable)

                               

                Ground paid on property for which rental income has been received may be entered here.

         

Maintenance Allowance

 

The 20% further deduction is allowable irrespective of whether actual expenditure has been incurred.  It amounts to one fifth of the rents received i.e. 1/5 of Gross Rents less ground rents.  Note that this deduction is not allowable against ground rents received.

 

 

  -   Interest on Capital Employed                                                           

 

Any Interests incurred on borrowed capital for aquiring income is deducted here.  No deduction is allowed in respect of interest payable which is of a personal or private nature.

 

  -   Alimony Payments                                                                              

 

In this field you may enter the amount of alimony paid to your estranged spouse, so that it can be deducted from the chargeable income. A Maltese court should have established the alimony payment.

 

Please note that alimony paid in respect of dependent children is not an allowable deduction.

 

  -   Children attending Independent Schools                                        

 

Parents [or legal guardians] whose child or children have attended a private, fee-paying independent school  during 2001 and after are eligible for a deduction equal to

 

1.      The lower of Lm200 or the amount of school fees paid during 2001 and after for every child attending an independent school at a primary level;

2.      The lower of Lm300 or the amount of school fees paid during 2001 and after for every child attending an independent school at a secondary level;

 

  -   Other Allowable Deductions                                                              

 

In this field you may enter the amount of any other allowable expense in respect of income, which has been declared, (for example trading losses incurred in prior years and which may be set-off against this year’s chargeable income)

 

If you make any deductions which are not according to the law as well as any deductions to which you are not entitled, you will be liable to penalties (additional tax) according to the Income Tax Acts.  The additional tax for the first omission is 3% per month on the tax evaded. For a second omission the additional tax is 4%, for a third omission 5%, for a fourth or further omission the additional tax is 6%.

 

Tax Credits

 

  -   FSS Tax Deductions                                                                             

 

In this field you should enter any FSS tax withheld during the basis year from employment income or local pensions. This amount can be found on the FS3 given to you by your employer or pension provider.

 

For each separate amount of FSS tax deduction enter the PE number of your employer or pension provider and the amount of tax deductions made during the basis year.

 

If in this step, you are deducting the credit for tax which was deducted from your part-time employment income at the special 15% rate you must also include the part-time income in the ‘Employment or Office’ fields.

 

If the tax status selected is married you must enter the amount of tax withheld of the responsible spouse in the ‘Self’ column and the amount of tax withheld (if any) for the other spouse in the ‘Spouse column.

 

  -   Provisional Tax Payments                                                                  

 

Enter the total of all provisional tax payments made for the basis year.  These payments are printed on page 4 of the Income Tax Return

 

  -   Tax Paid on Capital Gains                                                                   

 

In this field you must enter the total amount of all payments made for any transfer of property.

          Please note that such amount may be deducted provided that a capital gain income has been declared.

 

  -   Tax at Source on Local Dividends                                                     

 

In this field you should only include tax deductions that were made (usually at 35%) from the local dividend income declared

 

  -   Other Tax Credits                                                                                 

 

In this field you may deduct any other amounts which qualify for tax credits such as

 

 

 

 

 

The Restart button is used to reset all values, while the ‘Back to Return’ button is used to go back to the Interactive Tax return without losing any inputted data.

 

Once all data has been successfully inputted, click on the Process icon, where the Tax Computation screen will be displayed displaying the tax calculations as per inputted values.

This section determines your chargeable income as well and computes the amount of tax due of that income.