Thousands of property owners who try to scratch together the emergency property tax or stand in long queues to request exemptions of reduced fees will take a relief breath that the property power will not be cut off. The Greek Finance Ministry prepares an amendment on the emergency property tax bill that will extend the payment deadline before the bad guys cut off the electricity. According to Proto Thema, the deadline for unpaid property tax will be increased from 80 days currently to 6 months.
The amendment submitted by the Finance Ministry to the Parliament stipulates:
-If the emergency property tax has not been paid four months after the payment deadline of the installment, the power companies will send that data of the debtor to the Finance Ministry that will forward them to the tax office in charge of the taxpayer.
-It will be up to the tax office officials to decide whether there are reasons to proceed to powers cut offs. Before the tax office gives the order to power cut off, it will have to inform the property owner about the upcoming action.
-The tax payer will have a period of two months to appeal the decision in case he fulfills the preconditions for exemption or reduced tax [or even go and pay his property tax debt, I guess???]. The tax payers appealed will be examined by a three-member committee of the Finance Ministry.
-Anothe provision stipulates that 17% of the surface of rented rooms will be exempted from the emergency property tax, provided they have been declared as tourist accommodation to EOT on that year.
-There are some amendments concerning discount for families with many children.
–Property with more than one owners: the amendment also states that the certificate of the Emergency Property Tax is made in the name of the owner, or the usufructuary* with the majority of the ownership or in the name of any of them, who has the right to require from the other co-owners to pay their percentage of the property tax.
*usufruct: legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property that belongs to another person.
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