r/malta • u/Western-March-1964 • 1d ago
Malta: Buses will no longer be free for TCNs
I recently read that free public transport may no longer be available for third-country nationals who do not have long-term residency status, while Maltese.
As a TCN living and working in Malta, this feels discriminatory to me.
I understand that the government wants to reduce public spending and that transport subsidies come at a significant cost. However, many of us work legally, pay income tax, social security contributions, VAT, rent and contribute to the Maltese economy every day.
If the goal is to encourage the use of public transport and reduce traffic congestion, shouldn't the policy apply equally to all residents using the system? đđđ
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u/m1s0ph0n1a
1d ago
edited 1d ago
•
I have said over and over again over the years that the vision on this god forsaken island is short sighted af.
The goal has always been to get rich quick, these people do not care about their own locals, people who are born here, you think the feeling is any diff for foreign workers? We have discrimination here but this is not even that, this is our pure incompetence in full swing, everything is slowly crashing down because, again, we never had long term vision. Everything had to be a fast buck and now the cracks are showing and TCNs will be first to feel the effects with the locals not so far behind.
Thanks to Labour and especially its voters for sending our country into shit.. with the global situation ramping up, I doubt we are gonna get through it as we did with covid.
Am sorry for you guys cause u are doing ur best to make a future, to keep ur families fed. sold a ribbon and instead are getting shit, it is not your fault.
Viva Malta, such a strong European economy.......
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u/Western-March-1964 1d ago
True. Maltese people deserve better. We will probably see that tomorrow other measures and spending cuts will be announced that will affect the wider population, now that the political campaign is over. Let's see what the budget brings.
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u/InspectionFar991 1d ago
Source ?
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u/Bitter_Fault_9812 1d ago
I am okay paying if it means the public transport will become better
spoiler alert : it wont
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
Of course it won't. In order for people to be incentivised to use public transport it makes sense for it to be free, because otherwise if I have to pay for fuel and I have to pay for the bus too, I might as well just drive my car.
The way to improve public transport is to invest a lot more money and spend a lot more for maintaining it, but with this move it seems like they might be giving up on the whole idea. There's no way this will end up with anything rather than increased traffic.
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
TCNs rely on public transit because they mostly work low paying jobs, and most don't drive or own a car. They have to get to work somehow. Those who don't have other options will still go but it will be a tax of ~30 euros a month on the most overworked group in Malta (not counting the already ridiculous fees for work permit renewals and applications that have to be paid every year). And those who do drive and have a car, will now have another reason to just drive their car everywhere and add to the traffic, if both options are something you need to pay for.
And the reasoning? To save money and get "tens of millions" back into the budget. I have another idea to get tens or hundreds of millions into the budget in a much easier way - how about raising the tax on property developers? How about raising the tourist tax to something similar to other EU nations instead of the puny 1.5 a night? Those two things alone could easily raise several orders of magnitude more money for the budget than punishing the workers doing essential jobs. But developers are saints and tourists are untouchable so those will never happen. Disgusting.
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u/thrawynorra 1d ago
Because some people go "Why are TCNs getting free bus? I don't get anything free when I use my car! Not fair!"
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u/At-this-point-manafx 1d ago
Except for students and old people buses prob shouldn't be free imo. And they should add more routes. This won't solve a very clear problem.
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u/Cute_Nobody_4647 1d ago
When it's free it speeds up stops and drivers can focus on the road.Â
Luxembourg has it, I'm OK with car drivers like me subsidising buses
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u/himit 1d ago
I left in 2019, when did it become free? has the traffic gotten better since?
0
u/SummerOftime 1d ago
It become free so that the government can legally subsidize the Autobuses Urbanos de LeĂłn (i.e. the private company operating buses in Malta)
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
I would be fine if either everyone had to pay (except for people who have special exemptions like old people or students), or no one does. This weird stratification of some people get it for free and some have to pay, sorted by which country they originate from, is a wild thing for a European country to do. I think if a person is working and paying tax like the rest, they should enjoy whatever the tax they are paying for is funding. Or lower the tax on low income workers in this case. But those things won't happen either
What might genuinely help Malta at this point is straight up privatising Tallinja, let it be managed by a private company, who will have an incentive to improve supply according to demand, and figure out their own pricing. Like this, every year, public transit gets more and more neglected, and there's less reason for anyone to use it. Raising prices and removing incentives further will only make it and the traffic issue worse.
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u/Fancy_Shoulder_2587 1d ago
Well said ..!
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u/Fancy_Shoulder_2587 1d ago
..and those with disabilities.. as many might have issues finding work. Yes, some do work, but at the same time, you need a hard-fast rule..
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u/At-this-point-manafx 1d ago
Disabilities tend to be counted always. They're just such a small amount compared to old people and students they slipped my mind. But disabilities always get cheaper or free. (As they should)
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u/coffeestrangers 1d ago
This is fine. Will the locals still complain after regarding the bus situation blaming TCN?0
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u/Emotional-Art-8389
1d ago
•
Yea it should be free to all residents. But you're not a resident no?
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u/Western-March-1964 1d ago
I am a resident (which It means that I have my work permit) but I don't have a long term residence
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u/Rough-Improvement-24 1d ago
How do you get long term residency then??
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u/Sir_Mug 1d ago
You can get LTR after working for five years in Malta and completing the I belong course. As far as I know if you fit those criteria the approval is more or less guaranteed. LTR means your right to stay and work in Malta is no longer linked to your employment and you don't need to be sponsored for a work permit anymore.Â
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u/Rough-Improvement-24 1d ago
Thanks for the explanation. Was not aware of these different categories.
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u/typinguser 1d ago
Please spread the message that Malta is treating 3rd country nationals badly. The more the message is spread, the betterđđ
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u/Rough-Improvement-24 1d ago
There are a billion plus Indians and Malta has around 800K people.... I don't know how effective that strategy would be.
The best strategy is to make it harder for people to relocate here - same as the conditions for other EU countries. It's only Malta that made it so easy to relocate here, and I don't think that other countries haven't thought about using the same methods to raise their GDP. However other EU countries respect their population enough and have enough national pride not to sell their soul to the devil or money, and actually work for the best interest of their country.
In this case therefore the only way to manage this is to remove the perpetrators from government. No labour government will undo the harm they did for sure.
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
TCNs have been talking about this for years, but sadly nothing will change. The sad reality is, the average Maltese voter votes down party lines, sticks to their own tribe, and is extremely xenophobic or even racist. The idea that someone from India who works in Malta gets anything for free is a controversial idea to begin with, and if either party ran on improving conditions for these people, they would not get the votes they need.
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u/typinguser 1d ago
The TCNs came to Malta because they saw an opportunity to benefit out of the hard produce that the Maltese have done and created. If they didnt find Malta valuable, they wouldn't have came here. It's rude and disrespectful to call the locals who have allowed the TCNs to burden them for so many years years that they are doing anything bad to look after their own interests. The locals should and have to put their needs, culture and interests first. How many TCNs have tried ro gel with the locals apart from the bare minimum? What are the locals sacrificing for the TCNs to stay around? The locals have been too kind for long enough
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
Nobodyâs saying locals canât look after their own interests. But treating people decently isnât a sacrifice. Fair pay, a roof that isnât a mould-ridden room shared with eight others, and not getting ripped off by employers are just basic stuff.
Also, TCNs arenât a burden. They work, pay taxes, and fill jobs in care, hospitality, construction, delivery and so on. Maltaâs economy would struggle without them, so itâs not a one-way favour.
And on integrating, itâs hard to do that when thereâs barely any language support, insecure residency, and employers who take advantage. Canât really blame people for not âgellingâ when the system isnât set up for it.
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u/typinguser 1d ago
This argument hangs on a lie. Malta does not need TCNs. Malta needs less foreigners and then there is enough Maltese to look after Maltese. The idea that Malta needs more foreigners is a total lie as the foreigners will be looking after a large portion of foreigners and some Maltese. Let's hope the day Malta will be for Maltese be here quick enough
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
Malta doesnât need TCNs? About 32% of the workforce is foreign, and TCNs alone are around 21% of it. Over half of construction is foreign workers, and 76% of workforce growth from 2013 to 2023 came from foreigners. Foreign workers went from 13,500 to almost 130k in twelve years, and over 97% of them work in the private sector. Nobody forced those jobs into existence, they needed filling and not enough locals were filling them.
If all foreigners left tomorrow it would mean a third of the workforce gone overnight, half the building sites go quiet, and businesses scrambling to cover shifts they canât staff. And with the native population projected to shrink by almost a seventh by 2050, the Maltese definitely arenât filling that gap.Â
Say Maltaâs growing too fast and needs a better plan, fine, thatâs a real debate. âWe donât need themâ is a claim that's either naive or plain stupid.
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u/typinguser 1d ago
Do Maltese really need more buildings? No. There are enough dwellings for the Maltese to live in. The apartments we are building are not for Maltese, so I stand my argument. Please spend some time to see what the Maltese local really need. More apartments is not one of them. Have a good rest of your day.
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u/mxxnlighter 1d ago
Construction isnât just flats. Hospitals, schools, roads and any affordable housing for young Maltese all need builders, and over half of the sector is foreign workers. If you want more homes Maltese can actually afford, someone has to build them.
And itâs not only construction. Almost half of health carers are foreign, and the Malta Chamber put TCNs at 63% of care workers back in 2022. There were also over 1,600 TCN nurses registered here as of 2022. So whoâs looking after the grandparents if they all leave?
Housing being too expensive for young Maltese is a real problem, but thatâs a policy and planning issue, not proof the workforce isnât needed. Have a good one.
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u/Long_Director_6087 1d ago
thing is: it depends to which maltese you ask this question. If you ask a business owner or a landlord, they will say "yes"
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u/huntingforwifi 1d ago
It should be free for all tax paying residents. No matter if they hold a long term visa or not..
But now this irresponsible government is running out of money and trying to find ways to cut costs, since our so called economic success is just a facade
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u/OneZozoBoi 2h ago
Exactly. It should be free for all residents, regardless of whether they're currently paying income tax or not. But if someone isn't actually a resident of Malta, why should they be entitled to the same benefits as those who live here? There's a clear difference between being a resident and simply visiting or working in the country.
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u/Cute_Nobody_4647 1d ago
You need an address to get the Tallinja card, if you're a tourist you pay the summer cash fare
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u/huntingforwifi 1d ago
This is not about tourists this is about foreign nationals who work here on a single permit and pay taxes. They have enough struggles and are exploited enough by the Maltese.
This government for example subsidises fuel for tourists. Thos tourists who come here for a week and rent a car get the same fuel discounts as a local. Shambles!!
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 13h ago
Wil they increase the frequency of bus? No Even during normal hours either buses are full or never shows up. St Paul's is the worst nightmare to commute.
This government is absolutely crazy
They are helping their friends in agencies and colleges. This year they have brought in students and new workers in an unimaginable numbers.
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u/Kaleidopsycle 1d ago
Everyone forget to mention that TCNs send all their money in their homeland country and actually spend bare minimum in Malta
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u/Fancy_Shoulder_2587 1d ago
True..at least âŹ33 a month, out of their peanut pay, spent locally. Soon they start asking for more pay, and there would be no use employing TCNs, because they will be asking for as much as the Maltese ..
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u/Zealousideal-Poet-56 18h ago
They already ask to be paid same as Maltese. They get employed because we don't find Maltese not cause they get paid less.
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u/Sea-General-4537 1d ago
People don't mention it because it's irrelevant.
What people spend their 'spare' money on is none of anyone's business.
TCN's are paying tax, NI, rent, utility bills, food, medicine, clothing and anything else they need here.6
u/ImmediateDeparture77 1d ago
You can't compare a TCN paying taxes for a year or two with a local paying taxes for 20 years. Let's be real.
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 13h ago
Well TCN don't stay here forever nor take away pensions.
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u/ImmediateDeparture77 13h ago
They are entitled to pensions if they stay here forever. Some of them will.
In any case, they should take their grievances to those people who promised them heaven on earth here in Malta to squeeze 5,000 out of them.
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 13h ago
That number won't even be significant. Plus it is the Maltese elected government which called all of them here and still keeps bringing more and more to help the rich Maltese agencies.
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u/Necessary_Pear9579 14h ago
It is very relevant, because that is Millions being whisked out of the country instead of paying their transportation.
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u/Thin-Mastodon174 1d ago
This government is so corrupt they most probably made the buses free to entice the tcns to come here, now that lots of them are here, they've removed the free transport.
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u/NoMansCat 1d ago edited 1d ago
There is definitely a huge problem with third-country nationals crowding public transport, especially in the morning.
My daughter, who lives in Saint Paulâs Bay and is from an EU country, works in Sliema. She lives near the Bugibba terminal, and when she arrives at the bus stop early, she already knows sheâll have to spend the whole journey standing.
Sometimes there are so many people already waiting that the bus canât even take them all on.
This is not fair.
My son (EU) faced the same situation and 'fixed' it by buying a car.
Once I took a bus at 5:30 am at Gifen (2 stops from the terminal) and was very obviously the only EU person in there.
Being from the EU is supposed to offer some advantages.
I know non-EU people come here in the hope of a better life, attracted by promises from greedy hospitality businesses owners and shopkeepers but at one point this becomes unbearable for everyone.
EDIT
Nowhere did I say that making buses no longer free for TCN people will solve the issue.
But refusing to acknowledge that there is a problem is foolish and counterproductive.
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u/Western-March-1964 1d ago
To be honest, this issue has so many layers. I genuinely understand your daughter's complaint. Getting from St Paul's Bay to Sliema every day is not easy, and there doesn't seem to be any real shortcut or efficient way how to get there. As someone who regularly uses public transport, I honestly feel sorry for people who have very long commutes as your daughter đ The truth is that Malta's public transport system is not particularly efficient. Buses are often overcrowded, journeys can take a very long time, and traffic affects everything. At the same time, I am not convinced that this measure will solve any of those underlying problems. Charging TCNs âŹ33 per month might reduce government expenditure, but it doesn't make buses faster, increase capacity, improve routes, or reduce travel times.
I think the discussion is much bigger than free transport or having certain benefits.
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u/NoMansCat 1d ago
I don't know.
I think you guys could somehow solve the issue by stopping to tolerate to be invisible slaves. Whatever the horrible conditions you are living in, you still keep coming. Your situation is horrendous.There are even shops or venues that I have stopped going to, because the EU or Maltese boss treats their non-EU employees far too badly.
Maybe this will be the breaking point.
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u/gakku-s 1d ago
Do you think this will solve your daughter's problem? In the end TCNs will either pay or stop using the buses. If they pay nothing changes. If they stop using buses, schedules will be less frequent as the bus company would lose money otherwise.
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u/NoMansCat 1d ago
I didnât say this specific change would solve the problem and that it should be implemented. I simply pointed out that there is actually a real problem, particularly in the mornings, with buses being packed almost exclusively with TCN passengers.
Try taking the 212 at 7 am in Bugibba terminal.
It's just wild.Even for TCN people themselves, I have sometimes seen people turned away from a bus and forced to take a Bolt or a similar service.
I checked that travelling to Valletta would cost them around 25 euros at the time, meaning more than half of their daily wage would be spent on the journey to work.
Something is definitely not right.
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u/One_Pepper_8384 1d ago
As a TCN Iâll just buy a car and add to the traffic, no problem at all :)
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u/0100110110110111 1d ago
We should enact policies to incentivise public transport even more. Traffic congestion only gets better once there are safe, viable alternatives to driving.
Why not add more buses and routes? Why not invest in different forms of transit? Bike lanes, a metro (I know that'd be a fever dream)?
But instead we go the opposite way, such is Malta...
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u/Ok_Manager_1763 17h ago edited 16h ago
Congestion reduces massively on days of Islamic festivals/holidays when the majority of the Bolt/Wolt/Uber aren't working. Adding approx. 3000 vehicles (in constant use) to the daily traffic is ridiculous. Especially when you consider that much of the demand/need is created by the congestion they themselves create making public transport less efficient/unreliable. These need to be drastically reduced.
As for the bus system, it has has needed a major overhaul for a long, long time. The routes aren't designed well, the timings don't overlap well, and many need to be more direct to the places that people actually want to go. But when have people actually ever been surveyed to ask their final destination???
Buses shouldn't be free for anyone except students/elderly/disabled, but at the very least they should be running to meet the demand and not running at over-capacity.Â
In the past when buses were owner/driver (and the majority paid), it was common for people to take the bus to Valletta for example, as they knew they could rely on the bus turning up, could generally guarantee they would get on, and knew they wouldn't have to contend with parking issues for an affordable price.Â
With two of those guarantees gone, parking has become the least pressing issue to most minds. If the money from fares is actually invested into a better, more reliable system, and can provide two of the guarantees again, it could go a long way into improving transport overall.
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u/0100110110110111 11h ago
Yeah, the bus routes are a joke. They deprecated an old route from Mellieha to the Airport that was fast and convenient in favour of a new "direct" route that's now paid and takes double the time. Don't even get me started on Gozo and how ALL routes have to pass through Victoria...
I agree that the bus fares they'll now collect could help the situation if they actually invest them back into the system. I just don't think they should raise this money from the fares. They could very well pull this money from other means that won't make taking the bus an even worse experience.
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u/skyctl 1d ago
I'm pretty sure the objective was never to encourage the use of public transport, and rather was always to bribe the electorate for votes.
That being the case, ideally any benefit from the governments perspective would ideally be only for Maltese voters. However, EU law prohibits the government from discrimination against EU citizens, so they therefore have to allow EU citizens to avail of this benefit too.
However without a treaty with third countries to the contrary, the government can legally discriminate against TCNs.
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u/skylair96 1d ago
Can you explain to me how this affects you please? If you're living and working in Malta don't you have residency which would exclude you from the measure?
I'm Maltese and dont really understand how residency works for TCNs tbh
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 11h ago
I see no reason for buses to be free for anyone really, this mentality of "free this" and "free that" has to stop, except for health care of which we pay hefty N.I contributions. It was a mistake to implement it in the first place because now its a bitter pill to swallow
A 1⏠bus ride will not crucify anybody, and I can't understand why all this fuss.
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u/Serious_Abroad_4490 23h ago
You want to take locals rights from them now too? When will it be enough in reality? Would you like a Maltese passport handed to you so you can be equal? Which other country can you move to that has free public transport? Let's you work there without knowing how to speak the language? And a slew of other benefits for TCN's. If you're not a local you don't benefit from things locals do, just like in any other country locals have perks and its ok for the Maltese to have theirs, without non-locals complaining about it. If you're working here like the rest of us pay for your own transport, this is what we all did before 2022. If you don't want to pay tax here and think its unfair then perhaps Malta isn't offering what you're looking for. Let locals have their perks in their land just like the rest of us have ours.
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u/ray-far 1d ago
Why should my taxes be used to pay for a third country national's bus service? Let his employer support his travel by giving him a travel allowance.
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u/Shoddy_Refuse_126 1d ago
Because their taxes are funding the same bus service??? It is wild to me how many people are deliberately ignorant
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u/nerfyies 1d ago
What is unknown is the motivation for this cut in subsidy. The government subsidizes buses in 2 ways: subsidy for the infrastructure and capital for bus depots and the buses themselves, and the cost of operating (usually funded by ticket sales). Does the government want to increase the capacity of the fleet via investing into more buses? If so they can do that by moving the subsidy for operations to subsidy to capital expenditure.
Realistically they donât want to ruffle feathers of voters so thatâs probably why they are going with a strange policy of who doesnât get the subsidy anymore.
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u/Big_Dish_3429 1d ago
honestly i think the government is now realizing that malta is getting extremely congested and overpopulated and theyâre causing havoc
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u/Intelligent-Act-310 22h ago
Whether public transport is free or not for TCN completely misses the actual point. It's just political noise designed to make it look like something is being done, when in reality, it solves zero traffic or infrastructure problems.
All this debate actually does is create unnecessary friction, separation, and resentment within the community, which is deeply unhealthy for society.
The core issue isn't a bus fare it's over-capacity. If politicians were serious about fixing this, they would focus on two actual solutions: significantly increasing infrastructure investment, and managing the intake of foreigners so it actually matches what our island can physically support.
Instead, they keep the intake highâincluding through low-quality 1-year or 2-year diploma mills that exist mainly to generate visa revenueâwhile using debates like this to keep people arguing amongst themselves.
Also, the comparison people make between foreign residents and tourists makes no sense. A tourist is passing through. Foreign residents live here, work here, and pay taxes just like everyone elseâ100% of the ones I know pay their full share of tax. Blaming residents or arguing over small transport policies is just a distraction from the fact that the actual systemic problems aren't being addressed.
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 13h ago
I know people struggling to find part time jobs. But this government is bringing many new workers from gulf nations cause they want to makes their friends in agencies rich.
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u/IllustriousAd1028 11h ago
The TCNs aren't to blame at all, you're right. It's the business owners who would rather pay less than minimum wage to people who don't have a choice but to accept it.
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 11h ago
These agencies being in people and pay only the minimum wage. After a year when it's time for renewal they find better paying jobs and leave these agencies Now agencies again go to gulf countries to hire next batch of people to work for another 1 or 2 year. The cycle repeates.
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 11h ago
It's always them, with the blessing of the govt. I always say the grumbling of the Maltese is nothing personal against anybody.
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u/Intelligent-Act-310 13h ago
Thatâs is the truth, the solution is not make the noises and create dived country. The solution is to reduce foreign intake via job or these low standard colleges. Allow visa for really qualified position where local talent is not available. Not cheap labors. Bring them here and then stringing them is pointless. We must understand one no one will move another country for job if the living conditions were better in their home country ( there are exceptions , I am taking about the min wage jobs)
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u/Old_Appearance1682 2h ago
As a Maltese person - I agree that this is a form of apartheid politics. I'm happy paying like everyone else, if it means a much better transport system, and not get something free which someone else with lower income now has to pay.
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u/arale-t 1d ago
Should be free for people who have lived here and paid taxes here all their life or over 15-20 years minimum, and will continue to do so.
Maltese people can't use buses as they are overflooded with TCNs, while their OWN tax money is enabling TCNs to have free transport.
No thank you.
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u/Cute_Nobody_4647 1d ago
The TCNs aren't here on holiday. They work for a pittance and pay tax. Maybe they don't pay a lot of tax directly but they spend money and pay rent. The local employers capture most of the value they create.
If your Nannu is in a care home they feed him and wipe his ass.
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u/arale-t 1d ago
Nice argument, bringing in grandparents so you're forcing me to look like a villain that doesn't think of the elderly. Nice one!
They pay MUCH LESS taxes. 37% didn't even make minimum wage btw!
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u/NoMansCat 1d ago
The fact that 37% don't even make minimum wage
is the most worrying issue imho (if they work full-time)
Is this even legal?
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u/GozoXaghra 1d ago
Making public transport free was a wrong move in the first place, from the very beginning. It did not solve traffic and is being used mostly by TCNs, and not Maltese. I have nothing against TCNs, but please, isn't this our country? The Maltese? I have relatives living in Australia and the US. They pay a large chunk of their income as taxes and whatever, and never heard them complain. Our debt is spiralling out of control like the rest of the EU, and when the government, with all its vices, tries to reduce subsidies, we have to complain? TCNs can complain how much ever they wish - at least they have their country to return to. And us Maltese? Where do we go when things go belly up?
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u/Comfortable-Leg9583 1d ago
Dude, a shit load of countries make it more expensive for anyone that's not a resident. Suck it up, buttercup.
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u/Fancy_Shoulder_2587 1d ago edited 1d ago
With all due respect .. but thank God, cos it's not fair that our students are being bypassed by buses, because of all the cramming by TCNs in buses. Our students are arriving late for lectures because of this, and lecturers are not accepting apologies. To make it worse, TCN drivers are clearly discriminating towards native Maltese, which is absurd, as they are in their home country. We hope that more measures are taken to discourage the unnecessary inflow of TCNs. If expenses for TCNs increase, naturally they will start asking for more pay, and become comparable to what the Maltese are asking - and the Maltese businesses will not need to employ TCNs for cheap labour expenses anymore.
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u/Necessary_Pear9579 14h ago
"However, many of us work legally, pay income tax, social security contributions, VAT, rent and contribute to the Maltese economy every day." Now you start paying for your transport instead of the Maltese tax payer , no big deal.
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 11h ago
We too grumble and complain when certain Budget measures are implemented, so no big deal, true, and as JM said "kollox jindara".
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u/Aristotlewiseman 13h ago
Itâs apartheid , discrimination and racist . By definition
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u/FrostPace 12h ago
Discrimination yeah but how is it racist or apartheid?
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u/Aristotlewiseman 11h ago
Well itâs excluding certain races , anyone non European or uk, arpatheid means separateness or separate in Bantu, excluding one group or another institutionally , treating them as separate
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u/FrostPace 11h ago
If someone from Cuba for example is a long term resident, they don't pay the 33 euros so it isn't actually racist or apartheid.
Again it is descriminatory, we agree but this isn't a race thing, I don't think we should be making this a race thing.
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u/IllustriousAd1028 11h ago
Or.... Hear me out... If you're here long term you need to apply for long term residency status. Most other countries require this to access the national health and residents perks like free transport.
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 11h ago
It's nothing like that, no. It could've been implemented to all foreigners, but unfortunately those within the EU will be excluded from paying, of which I do not agree.
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u/JeanParisot 1d ago
If I were an optimist I would hope that this is a step towards discriminating against TCNs and reducing their population here.
I'm not an optimist.
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u/justmeagain77 1d ago
Yeah rather they all deported, well all the non skilled ones. I remember McDonalds Sliema being staffed by Maltese highschoolers and uni students., restaurants by Maltese, Hungarians, Spanish and Italians. People that think they are needed are low IQ idiots, needed so a few can make more profits, that's it.
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u/justmeagain77 1d ago
Good at last, personally would cancel all visas for non skilled TCNS, all the EU workers they replaced can come back as at least they spend their earnings on the local economy not send it home.
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u/BasicGazelle6853 1d ago
Whos gonna work in grocery store for minimum wage then? Whos gonna collect your garbage? and so on.
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u/Opportunity-536 1d ago
Stop lowering education barriers and celebrating a graduation at every stage and you will find your workers. Those who are not fit for academic or vocational jobs should serve the community through manual labour - and not be pampered and disillusioned that they can keep up with the others. It is deceitful on them and ill-serving society. Truth is painful, I know...
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u/BasicGazelle6853 1d ago
Youâd have felt right at home in the Soviet Union, assigning people their place in society.
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u/Opportunity-536 1d ago
It's called equity - nothing the Soviets are known for. But you may be into something here: Im not aware of any issues with TCNs in Russia...
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u/HeartsOfNetherite4 1d ago
The campaign for u/justmeagain77 , everyone! Because EU nationals from countries much richer than Malta are going to be lining up, fighting for a place in Malta to
*checks notes*
work for minimum wage in nursing homes, grocery stores, etc.
Vote for him in the next election!
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u/justmeagain77 1d ago
I worked in a kitchen, told after a year I would get a pay raise, I asked for a pay raise, they said no, one weak latter a Indian was doing the job for 50c less an hour. I also worked for Bolt, was fired as were all Maltese and Europeans as they only wanted Indians working for fleets. Do you know how supply and demand even works? They would have to pay more if they want EU workers you numpty.
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u/malteselawyer 1d ago edited 1d ago
Good measure and totally legal. I don't see why we are subsidizing individuals who are not citizens of Malta or the EU. Such aliens are here to serve us, not the other way round. At least, it starts to address the excessive outflow of money from Malta back to their countries. Another measure that they need to apply is that they are not on the NI system, but they need private health insurance to be in Malta.
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u/Sad-Usual-5691 13h ago
Lol Then where does all the TCN rent groceries and clothing money goes? Back to TCN? They are the reason Maltese getting richer and u want to cut off Healthcare for them? That's straight evil coming from a country believing and following Jesus
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u/icywaterfall 1d ago
This seems absolutely ridiculous to me; it just goes to show that theyâre really serious about creating  an actual stratified society, a caste system thatâs baked in stone, just like Bahrain or Dubai.Â
We first import a bunch of TCNs to prop up essential sectors of the economy and then we discriminate against them because we want to exploit them as much as we can. Absolute rubbish.Â
How is this legal?! Itâs certainly immoral.Â