A person who is ordinarily resident and domiciled in Malta is charged to income tax in Malta on a worldwide basis. A person who is resident but not domiciled in Malta is chargeable to income tax in Malta on income (including trading income and chargeable capital gains) arising in Malta (unless otherwise exempt) and on income arising outside Malta if it is received in Malta. This is referred to as the “Remittance Basis” of taxation and the Maltese Tax Authorities have issued guidelines on this. A person who is not resident or ordinarily resident in Malta is charged to income tax on certain Maltese source income and capital gains and withholding tax obligations may apply.
Understanding basic concepts (and how these apply to you) of taxation like residence and ordinary residence, domicile, citizenship, what constitutes income (and trading income) or capital gains and what is foreign source and what is not, is crucial for charging and reporting purposes, and to avoid expensive errors.