Don’t be surprised if you go out for dinner in Malta and you get a service charge added onto your bill. At least, that’s exactly what a former minister is warning against – being surprised, and not told everything from beforehand.“Slowly, it seems like the ‘coperto’ system is entering our country too,” former Minister for Social and Affordable Accommodation Roderick Galdes wrote this afternoon, sharing a photo of a €72.80 food bill that had come up to just under €80 due to a €6.92 “Service Charge”.“I want to make it clear that this is not a tax imposed by the Government, but an additional charge which a number of establishments and restaurants seem to be going to start including in the bill,” Galdes clarified.“In our country, where the expense to eat out is already high when compared to a number of neighbouring countries, we can’t accept more expenses being created for our families without full transparency,” Galdes went on to warn. “While I respect that the market is free, the consumer has a fundamental right to know from beforehand how much he’s going to pay.”A traditional per-person cover charge in Italy, the coperto covers the table setting (tablecloths, plates, cutlery and napkins) and basic service or bread. It is legal and standard in a number of countries, but must always be explicitly printed on the restaurant’s menu. In Italy, the charge typically ranges from €1 to €4 per person, sometimes higher at upscale or tourist-heavy locations.Based on the receipt that Galdes shared, this particular Maltese establishment seems to have charged a service charge of around €2.30 per person. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)“The Government should send a clear message that it is against any form of abuse and assure that the consumer’s rights are protected,” he continued. “In a time when we rarely hear from the organisations and associations which traditionally used to protect the consumer, the politician should be the voice of the people.”“The free market should remain free, but the consumer should be informed, protected and respected,” Galdes finished, tagging Tourism Minister Jo Etienne Abela and the Malta Tourism Authority.Do you agree with Roderick Galdes? Have you ever been to a Maltese establishment which added a service charge?•