Members of trade union PAME (Communist Party KKE) prohibited the electricity cut in ten households in Kalamata, Peloponnese, as the property owners had not paid the emergency property tax. Until now, 374 households and shops in the prefecture of Messinia are threatened with power cuts for the same reason. The local branch of PAM calls people to ‘block’ the electricity counters of state power company DEH and not to allowed the DEH units to cut off the power.
The emergency property tax imposed to every DEH subscriber had triggered outrage among the Greeks living in strict austerity since May 2010. Many municipalities organized protest actions and taxpayers protection measures. Taxpayers organisations and the Athens Bar have filled complaints at the Supreme Administrative Court, questioning the compatibility of collecting taxes through electricity bills and deprive people from their right to power access, if they are unable to pay the emergency tax that is permanent until 2015. A final decision is expected in the beginning of February.
