by Tim » Mon 27 Mar 2006 17:37
There is no council tax, poll tax or property rates at the moment. However now that Malta is getting quite a lot of funding from the EC it is expected that some kind of habitation-based tax will have to be introduced because the EC doesn´t like handing out to those who don´t make a fair stab of raising funds for themselves (except to the French of course!).
Water is metered and charged on consumption basis plus meter rental, as is electricity. In fact both utilities come on a combined bill every 2 months. The actual tariffs are difficult to explain because they vary depending on how many people live at the billed address. The electricity rate also increases the more you use. As with th UK, it has been subject to surcharges lately because of the price of oil and the current surcharge is about 67%
There is no mains gas supply. Bottled gas is used by many for cooking and for heating in winter. You apply for your bottles when you arrive and pay a deposit for each one - I think it is Lm5. When they are empty you swap ´em for full ones. Last year it cost Lm2 and Lm5 per bottle, depending on the size. I didn´t need any this winter so I don´t know if it has gone up.
The only other tax or surprise cost I can think of is the swimming pool license. It is Lm1 per cubic metre of pool capacity per year.
If you care about the Maltese landscape please
save Ta Cenc.