What’s Up in Greece on Dec 30? tagged: , ,

What’s Up in Greece on Dec 30?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

Patience is high on the agenda in Greece today, as the stunned Greeks see ahead a new austerity-tsunami ready to swallow more of their income right with the first day of the new year.. Electricity prices will go up at 12.2% that is a 9,2% hike for electricity consumption and 3% hike for the green energy fee. Ex FinMin and current Environment Minister George Papaconstantinou justified the price hikes saying that DEH is not able to serve its debts amounting 4.5 billion euro!. The state power company has been known for decades as the super-employer for an army of voters with extraordinary wages, bonuses and benefits.

The health care sector will be hit by a strike that will force Greeks to get on their knees and pray that they won’t get sick. Doctors at Greece’s biggest insurance fund IKA will be on strike on January 2-5th, 2012. Pharmacists will be on strike on Jan 2-3rd. And more than this, they will not give prewscription medicine on credit.

The tax offices are open today just to collect the solidarity tax. Motorists can pay the traffic fees or give up their vehicles plates until Jan 13th 2012. Tax officers had declared a 48h strike for Dec 29-30/11 but the court declared it as illegal. However tax-payers have not been informed that tax offices are open today.

The two prosecutors who resigned from their posts at the judicial task force against tax evasion testify today at the Supreme Court. Will they give names of  those who put pressure on them to cover up financial crimes?

More than 16 billion euro have been withdrawn from bank accounts in September and October 2011. With all these taxes and income decreases I wonder that people still have bank savings. After savings are empty, also forests will soon have no trees. Many Greeks found a new hobby: cutting trees for fire-places and stoves. Before judging, think about those families who are unable to pay for heating oil.

Three businessmen have been arrested in Thessaloniki for debts to the Finance Ministry.

Drivers of public transport have been exempted from the labour reserve measure. Here you can see, how strikes help secure rights.

700,000 civil servants will undergo ‘capability tests’. Those who will be found ‘insufficient’ will be shown the exit door. The test-committees will consist by private companies. Can you imagine? We have a hydrocephalus state apparatus and public money is spent to do the work…

The IMF leaked to Wall Street Journal that a 50% haircut for the Greek debt is not sufficient.

Newspaper Eleftherotypia submitted a request for bankruptcy. Eight hundred people will queue on the long line of jobless.

I read that French consumers got angry about VAT hikes in snacks like hamburgers or pizza. The VAt goes from 5.5% to 7%. What should Greeks say when they pay a 23% VAT for the same food items?

I have the strong feeling that the state is collapsing and the coalition government parties are involved only an a kind of pre-election worries…

PS Do not forget to open your door to children singing the New Year’s Carols, tomorrow morning!