UPDATED: 21:20
ACCORDING TO STATE ‘NET TV’ GREEK PM PAPANDREOU ACCEPTS MINISTER’S RESIGNATION!
source: myworld.gr
The Greek Culture of Tax Invasion
Tolis Voskopoulos, 70, is a famous folks singer, who reached the peak of his carrier in the 70’s and 80’s. He submits his tax statement jointly with his wife Angela.
Angela Gerekou, 51, is the Deputy Minister of Culture & Tourism in Papandreou’s government.
Tolis owεs the Finance Ministry € 5.500.000 in unpaid taxes. Starting with an initial debt of over € 3,5 million in 1993, the ‘tax immunity’ the singer seemed to enjoy all these years has summed up a debt of € 5,5 million total due to penalties and fines.
According to the newspaper, the conflict between Tolis and the public administration (see Tax Office & Jurisdiction) has remained unsolved despite the countless efforts of the state to retrieve even a small amount of his tax debts through judicial decisions. Justice always won, but Tolis never paid.
September 25, 2009, Tolis appealed to Justice and Finance Ministry asking for erase his debt due to “economic weakness redemption” was rejected.
A month later, his wife Angela Gerekou was a Deputy Minister for Culture & Tourism.
Eleftherotypia-newspaper speaks of state inability and comments: “For 17 years the political and judicial system of the country failed to obtain even one single Euro from the big scale state debtor “.
While Tolis, singer & husband of Deputy Minister for Culture & Tourism, wanders around ‘tax free’ , ordinary people enter the prison cell and see their property confiscated if they refuse or they cannot pay their taxes.
A day before the € 14, 5 billion strong European loan arrives in Greece, the ‘tax immunity’ scandal brings into light once again the preferential treatment of state officials and their families and highlights the Greek ‘two classes’ society in terms of equality before the law.
The scandal might as well slur the Greek Government and PM Papandreou, but most of all it poses a challenging provocation to the Greek ordinary people , who are forced to tight their belts to the level of economical suffocation, due to harsh austerity measures imposed by the Government.
Public pressure for the resignation of Angela Gerekou is immense.
According to latest but unconfirmed reports Mrs. Gerekou has submitted her resignation to PM Papandreou, who is currently in Madrid/Spain to attend the summit EU/Latin America. No confirmation or acceptance of resignation has been issued until now.
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LINKS
Eleftherotypia http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=162937
VIDEOS
What Tolis is thinking right now
ΑΓΩΝΙΑ – ΑGONY by Tolis
What Tolis says to Angela
ΛΑΘΟΣ ΔΡΟΜΟ ΠΗΡΑΜΕ – WE HIT THE WRONG WAY