EU nationals demand end to domestic rate on utility bills

The EU nationals advisory group, 'Up in Arms', held a protest in Valletta this afternoon calling for an end to the law whereby EU citizens renting a primary residence in Malta are being charged 35-60% more than the Maltese on their utility bills.
'Up in Arms', headed by spokesperson Patricia Graham, met in St George's Square in Valletta. A crowd of close to 100 people were expected to attend but less than half actually showed for the event, which aptly used the slogan 'Equal rights for equal lights.'
"We have gathered here today to say to government and to ARMS that the domestic rate ends today," Graham told Malta Today. "We can no longer encourage our members to pay (somewhere in the region of) 45% more on their utility bills."
"It has to stop," she said. "We've done the talking, we've done the meetings and we're achieving nothing."
"As from today, no one from 'Up in Arms' will pay the domestic rate," she warned. "They'll only pay what is calculated on the residence rate."
Graham explained that 'Up in Arms' had close to 5,000 supporters in Malta - many of whom were foreign EU citizens - but she said that local support was on the increase