http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_19/10/2013_523894
No bailout if more austerity measures are demanded, says Stournaras
Greece will not agree to a new bailout if the troika demands more austerity measures as part of the deal, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras has told Kathimerini.
The Greek finance chief said that negotiations regarding Greece’s fiscal gap, financing shortfall and what form further debt relief might take will continue but he was adamant that Athens would not accept more fiscal measures being added to the agenda.
“We are negotiating hard, as we always do,” he said.
“However, realism and calm has to prevail on all sides. At a time when markets are starting to trust Greece again, illogical demands can only cause damage.”
The spread between Greek 10-year bonds and the benchmark German bund dropped to its lowest level in three years last week, but the Greek government has been alarmed by demands for further cuts and the European Central Bank’s refusal to discuss the option of rolling over Greek bonds to cover the country’s financing gap.
“We will only agree on a new bailout package if it is not accompanied by new measures,” said Stournaras. “We will accept structural measures.”
Greece has already backed down over the size of its primary surplus this year, with the troika rejecting Athens’s requests to include gains made by the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund. It has also been rebuffed by the troika over projections of increased tax revenues next year.
The ECB has refused to budge on the issue of bond rollovers because it considers this “monetary financing” of a member state, which the bank’s charter forbids. The Greek government however believes that the ECB has been more flexible on similar issues in the cases of Ireland and Italy.
“Fiscal and monetary strictness cannot be exhausted in Greece,” said Stournaras.
In the meantime, the government is striving to meet its latest reform targets before the heads of the troika mission in Greece return later this month. They are due to come back on October 28, possibly paving the way for Athens to receive another 1 billion euros in bailout cash. |
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http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_18/10/2013_523836
Banks see more savings being withdrawn for tax payments
The tax demands on Greeks in the coming months will eat further into their savings, after bank data showed that in September and the first half of October over 2 billion euros was paid in taxes, while another 5 billion is due to move out of bank accounts and into state coffers by the end of the year.
Greeks are finding themselves having to tap their savings during a period of prolonged recession and soaring unemployment, being asked to pay a total of 1 billion euros in income tax alone, to say nothing of the various property taxes.
http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/10/17/the-long-arm-of-greek-tax-office-confiscates-unemployment-allowance-as-well/
No, there is no way to escape the long arm of Greek taxation and debt big brother – especially if you’re an average taxpayer, with a average or low income. Because if you’re rich, you have already brought your money abroad, parked in an some flowery and sunny tax- and offshore-paradise and you don’t care. With a recent series of ministerial decrees, the Finance Ministry has opened the way to tax officers to directly grab money from the bank accounts of debtors – with the noble cooperation of the banks.
“The tax offices have grabbed money from the bank accounts of 50,000 taxpayers since the beginning of the year,” writes daily TA NEA, “whether checking saving or payroll and pension accounts.” And have seized money even from received allowances – like unemployment allowance, even thought this is forbidden by law. Exactly as it is forbidden for the tax office to seize money from the salary and pension account, if the seizure leaves the account with less than 1,000 euro – i.e. the amount a citizen needs to come along within a month.
Law here and exception there, the seizures continue automatically often with leaving the account holders without a cent,
The cases of the latest state arbitrariness of emptying bank accounts are increasing and more and more citizens seek the aid of the … media to complain about the injustice.
Here is the case of a man, whose salary of 540EUR arrived to his account but 260EUR was immediately sent to the tax office by the bank. And moreover, without previous warning. When the man complained to the tax office, the latter blamed the bank for owing to have checked whether the account would have been left with 1,000 EUR. On its side, the bank justified its action saying that it could not do otherwise as there was an order by the tax office. The tax office answered later, that the man has to turn to justice.
Tired of the ping-pong between tax office and bank, the taxpayer turned to the media. One fine morning he went to the tax office together with a camera crew from a private television station. The tax office director called the police that detained the camera crew for “disturbing the work of a public institution.”
Seeking his right through the justice, would cost the troubled and low-salary taxpayer extra money to hire a lawyer and extra time. Unable to find his way out, the middle-aged man threatens to vote for Golden Dawn “just to punish the government,” as he claims.
UPDATE: the bank returned the money to the man. Obviously to restore the trust of the bank customer to the credit institute. The bank is to claim the money form the tax office.
And there is the case of an unemployed who went to the bank to pick up 362EUR unemployment allowance. All the money was gone. the bank had forwarded the 362EUR to the tax office where the jobless had a debt of 1,300EUR.
On private Skai TV, a man complained that the tax office violently grabbed all the money he had in his bank account: 500,12 EUR. For a traffic fine issued in 1992! Without further notice and warning. Apparently the fine was originally some 30-40EUR but reached immense 850EUR due to interest of more than 20 years. The man claimed he had not idea about the debt which was not appearing on the electronic tax system (taxisnet).
Odd, because normally such fines are being written-off after 20 years.
Banks and tax offices claim that the bank account holder has to specifically declare, whether their account if for salary or pension. Otherwise, customers with debts to the state can see their money disappear.
PS What if the law says so, we are in emergency state of an economic war. “Grabbing private assets” is the only law valid…
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