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Government adopts uniform position in negotiations with troika
The three political leaders forming the coalition government on Tuesday evening concluded a meeting under Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, during which they adopted a uniform position that will be kept in negotiations with the country’s troika of international lenders (EC-ECB-IMF), starting this week.
Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, who also attended the meeting, told reporters that “the special levy on properties (EETHDE), will continue to be collected through electricity bills (DEH) in 2013”, and efforts will be made to reduce the amount of the tax for those citizens already paying it off.
The government’s intension is to apply as of 2013 a reduction in the property tax of up to 10 pct, later rising to 15 pct.
However, the exact amount of reduction in the levy will be finalised after negotiations with the troika, the heads of which are to arrive in Athens on Thursday.
“We extensively discussed all pending issues on the negotiations agenda (with the troika), as the talks must be concluded in order for the (rescue loan) tranche to be disbursed,” PASOK party leader Evangelos Venizelos said in a statement after the end of the meeting.
On his part, Democratic Left (DIMAR) party leader Fotis Kouvelis told reporters that the government’s uniform position in negotiations with the troika will be that “the special levy on properties be replaced by the Single Property Tax, which will be of a bracketed nature.”
The levy, according to Kouvelis, will continue to be collected through electricity bills, but for citizens not willing to pay it this way, it will be collected by taxation offices.
Source ATHENS-MACEDONIAN NEWS AGENCY
