Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-12

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] No question of any other favourable tax arrangement, FinMin says

[01] No question of any other favourable tax arrangement, FinMin says

Alogoskoufis said that "all who are inconsistent with their debts must realise at last that they cannot continue to owe and not pay, waiting for a new arrangement", adding that relevant tax audits will be intensified.

The minister mentioned that outstanding debts have amounted to 17 billion euros, meaning 10 percent of GDP and from this, according to assessments, only 10 billion euros are receivable, while the remaining seven billion are either owed by businesses which have closed down or concern payments which are doubtful.

Referring to the issue of the conversion into securities of outstanding debts owed to the Hellenic state, Alogoskoufis stressed that it will take place in absolute agreement with the European Statistical Service's rules.

"If, despite this, there are differences they will be resolved by the Council of Finance Ministers," he added and clarified that the conversion of uncollected revenues for 2006 into securities is not part of the additional fiscal adjustment and that the decrease in the deficit by 0.8 GDP units for next year will take place exclusively with structural measures.

Opposition parties, however, voted against the new budget, calling it "stale and socially unfair".

PASOK party rapporteur Andreas Makripidis called on the government to withdraw the draft budget because, as he said, it is up in the air.

"This tactic with the economic indicators is a mockery towards Parliament. It will be the second budget which the government of ND will revise and this shows the superficial way with which it handles the country's serious issues," he said.

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) rapporteur Angelos Tzekis said "the new budget as well only favours big interests," adding that the present government is continuing to do what the previous one of PASOK used to do with "accounting alchemies".

Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology party rapporteur Yiannis Dragasakis reiterated his party's proposal for the establishment of a minimum guaranteed income and termed the draft budget "counter-productive, ineffective and socially unfair".

The discussion will be continued on Thursday with the views of social and trade union agencies.

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