I would like to comment on remarks made by Mr Laurence Schembri of Gudja (TMID, 18 November) with regard to comparing Maltese prices and wages to the UK. The comments made give the impression that it is much easier to “make ends meet” in the UK compared to Malta. As a Brit currently holidaying in Malta, I would like to be given the opportunity to put right any misconception that this may have left by giving an idea of the actual costs of living in the UK. I shall express the amounts in Maltese Lira, using an exchange rate of 0.63, for ease of comparison.

My husband and I live in the county of Cornwall (the toe of the boot of England) and by EU standards this county is classed as a deprived area – which meant that, until only very recently, employers were legally allowed to pay less than the National Minimum Wage of Lm3.37 per hour (as at 1 October 2006). Based upon a standard 37.5-hour-week, this gives a take-home pay after income tax and National Insurance of Lm455 per calendar month (or Lm105 per week). The county of Cornwall is considered to be one of the most beautiful in England and is thus similar to Malta in that it relies heavily on tourism for its economy. This has resulted in the average wage rate paid in Cornwall being merely the National Minimum Rate.

The cost of buying a home in Cornwall is one of the highest in the UK and, with prices for a one-bedroomed flat starting at Lm63,000, then first-time buyers simply cannot afford to get on the property ladder. There-fore they are forced to rent, with prices per month being from Lm205 for a one-bedroomed flat, Lm300 for a two-bedroomed, terraced house and Lm380 for the average, three-bedroomed family home (which would be Lm107,000 to buy). On top of this every household has to pay local council tax (rates) minimum of Lm45 per calendar month (pcm), plus water rates of at least Lm25 pcm.

Power, in the form of electricity and/or gas, costs an average of Lm40 pcm and we also have to pay Lm85 per year to the BBC just for a TV licence (without which you cannot watch Sky or Digital, etc). If you do the maths, the result is that a single person can no longer afford to live on their own and, speaking from personal experience, it is necessary to share one’s home with lodgers – often complete strangers – in order to make ends meet.

I have been in the local supermarket in Marsascala almost every day and, as a housewife, cannot help but compare prices – it’s a woman thing – and can assure Mr Schembri that the cost of food in Malta is certainly not double that in the UK, in fact it is more the opposite! I have seen very few items in Malta that cost more than at home – indeed, many items which are imported to Malta actually cost less here than in the UK. In particular, locally produced items are between 30-50 per cent cheaper in Malta compared to their UK equivalent. (I can only think that perhaps the British visitor who told Mr Schembri that “the price of certain cheeses in Malta is twice that in the UK had made the easy mistake of comparing the Maltese price per Kilo with the UK price per imperial pound which, at 2.2lbs to the kilo, would look as if it was double the cost.)

The prices paid by the Maltese for drinks in bars is a fraction of the cost in the UK, due to taxes and duties. In our pubs, a pint of beer or lager is Lm1.70 and a bottle of house wine is Lm5.54 (indeed, Guinness is cheaper in Malta than in the UK!) and take-away food is much cheaper in Malta. However, from the menus we have seen, eating out in Malta seems to be of similar cost to the UK which does comparatively make it more expensive – although the saving on drinks significantly compensates for this. But then surely eating out is a choice and not a cost of living?

In the UK we pay VAT at the flat rate of 17.5 per cent (with the exception of residential power at five per cent) on almost everything except the essentials of food (unless it contains chocolate, making it a luxury) and children’s clothing. So, if Mr Schembri’s information is correct, then I guess the UK is up there with the highest VAT rates in the EU alongside Malta.

The only thing I have seen in Malta that is adversely out of proportion to wages when compared to the UK is the price of used vehicles, which appears to be double what we pay. However, it is compulsory for us to pay Road Tax of Lm110 and MOT of Lm25 per year just to be allowed to put the vehicle on the road. In the UK, the cost of unleaded petrol per litre has recently dropped from Lm0.63 to Lm0.59 but only because the major supermarkets are having a price war – it won’t be long before it goes back up!

But at least the Maltese have an alternative means of transport whereas in Cornwall the infrequent and expensive bus network makes it necessary for most adults to have their own car. For example, the return trip for me to travel six miles from my home town to my work town – a major holiday resort of comparison to Bugibba – by bus would cost Lm2.20 per day with buses at best only running at the rate of one per hour.

We pay prescription charges of Lm4.28 per item, which really hurts if you regularly need two or three items!

This brings us on to the National Health Service where, in our district of Cornwall, due to mismanagement, the Healthcare Trust is some Lm32 million overspent.

The state of the health service in our area was not very good to start with and now, in an attempt to try to claw back some of this money, they are in the process of closing down hospitals and reducing the number of nurses and doctors among other cutbacks. In short, we are suffering a much-reduced service compared to the rest of the UK while still having to pay the same amount of taxes.

I have been reading TMID for the past two weeks and appreciate that Malta has its share of problems – as do most countries in the world.

However there are also many things that Malta has got right and that are better than in other countries – including the UK – and it needs to be remembered that the grass on the other side of the fence isn’t always as green as it may at first appear!

You have probably one of the most friendly and helpful people we have come across, with good standards and family values and thus a relatively low crime level. In Cornwall, although we have one of the lowest crime levels in the UK, the elderly do not feel safe to go out after dark and groups of youngsters roam the streets with no respect for anyone, not even the police!

I am sorry to have gone on at such length, but hope that my ramblings have been useful in giving a better view on the way of life in the UK – and perhaps helping people to appreciate the good things that they already have!

Jo Abel

Hayle, Cornwall

UK