What’s Up in Greece on Jan 2/12? tagged: , , ,

What’s Up in Greece on Jan 2/12?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

Soberness is up today, after Greeks spent their last available euros to host family and friends in an effort to push aside concerns about the new economic year 2012. With the holiday week over, the new year started with a wave of strikes in the health sector: physicians at Greece’s biggest insurance fund IKA, self-employed doctors, hospital doctors and pharmacists are on strike until January 4th, 2012. Patients can get aid only at the emergency of the hospitals and the pharmacies on duty. Furthermore, pharmacists have cut credit to all insurance funds with the effect that patients will pay prescription medicine form their pockets and then turn to the funds to take the money back. For one more time, the citizens are taken hostages, but nobody cares.

The new year begins with emergency taxes been directly deducted from the salaries of employees and pensions. Alone in January, tax-payers will have to pay ten several taxes. For 2012 Greeks will have to find additional 5.3 billion euro to fill the state pockets. If the end of the world will come in 2012, why should we pay taxes?

The Finance Ministry has given a deadline to correct wrong calculations at the emergency property tax until Jan 20, 2012.

PM Lucas Papademos will meet with trade unions and other social ‘institutions’ to discuss cuts in salaries fo the private sector and supplementary pensions.

Retirement age will increase gradually for all isnuranced after 1983. In order to get pensions, Greeks will have to be over 65 years old and have worked for 40 years. Given the current economic situation and the high unemployment rate especially among the youth, it will be a miracle if future pensioners will see any money in their pockets. Forecasts for 2012, speak of official unemployment at 20%.

News portal bankingnews.gr claims that Greece proposed to IIF a haircut fo 80%. Some international banks , including BNP Paribas, rejected the proposal.

The Troika is due to Athens after Jan 15th, and a new tough bargain will be due in view of the seventh aid tranche and the new bailout of 130 billion euro.

The President, the Prime Minister and all political leaders announced  their New Year messages to the public. You don’t seriously want me to read and even translate these messages for you, do you?