New Property Tax Euros
On average, about 4 euros per square metre will be charged. It is the only measure that can be implemented immediately, said Greek Finance Minister, Evangelos Venizelos. Politicians and senior officials waive a monthly payment of their wages. Greece’s Finance Minister, Evangelos Venizelos, announced Sunday a new tax for all owners of any type of real estate property, aiming to raise some 2 billion euros at the end of the year. The extraordinary Council of Ministers on Sunday, which lasted for four hours, decided to tackle a particularly crucial situation in Europe and in the world market, and to do a national effort, Venizelos told reporters in Thessaloniki (Northern Greece). The only measure that can be implemented immediately is a special additional tax on real estate property for two years, it was reported. On average, about 4 euros per square meter, as minimum will be charged 50 cents in the poorest areas and a maximum 10 euros in the wealthiest areas of the country.
In addition, politicians and senior officials waive a monthly payment of their wages. Recession exceeding the planned Venizelos acknowledged that the downturn suffered by Greece is higher than expected, with a contraction of 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP), against estimates that spoke of 3.8%. If Greece wants to head out of the water, he added, it must assume immediate decisions to meet deficit targets for the years 2011 and 2012. The Greek Prime Minister, the Socialist Yorgos Papandreu, already said this Saturday that Athens meet to the letter structural reforms and a privatization programme to raise some 78,000 million euros until 2015. This Sunday reiterated in Thessaloniki that will advance with the necessary structural reforms to lift the country out of the recession will assume all measures that are necessary. The road we chose is very difficult, but is the only one that can guarantee us safety, said the Prime Minister at press conference. In view of the agreement reached with the European partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on July 21 for a new rescue of 160,000 million euros, Papandreou declared that everything necessary will be 400 banks and national parliaments (of creditor countries) to accept it. We are in the midst of a storm, but we will not allow anyone to threaten us, said the Prime Minister, who added: two years ago we had a deficit of 30 billion euros and now is unforgiving us nor a small deviation from a single euro.
Papandreou said that the program and the changes will make the debt, which now exceeds 350,000 million euros, fully sustainable and added that the goal is to achieve a primary surplus in 2012 (without the repayment of debt and interests). We are determined to move forward and protect the agreement of July because we don’t have the right to leave halfway efforts, asserted the Prime Minister. He also dismissed the call early legislative elections, planned for October 2013, because the people want change and not elections. Source of the news: Greece announces a new property tax to raise 2 billion euros
