At least 75 million euros per year will flow into the coffers of the Greek state with the new agreement signed between the government and the Shipping Community on Wednesday.
According to the new agreement “the payment of a sum equivalent to 10% of the imported dividends of the members of the union becomes permanent.”
The signing of the agreement was the result of a lengthy negotiation over several months.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the “10% contribution is an important agreement,” adding “everybody understands the sense of collective responsibility of the effort to exit the crisis.”
The Prime Minister called on the members of the Shipping Union to contribute with investments to the strengthening of the Greek economy’s growth, which after years of recession is in a phase of dynamic recovery.
Based on the amount of dividends declared in recent years, the amount to be paid to the Treasury will be at least €75 million per year.
The voluntary contribution of the shipowners is expected to reach 95% to 96%.
The agreement is of indefinite duration.
President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, Theodoros Veniamis, said that “together with the government we made an effort to voluntarily contribute to the government’s effort to help the national economy. It was something we had agreed on in the last four years, the two previous agreements that we signed with the government have expired and we have now signed the news that is indefinite. ”
He added that based on signatures data, the participation to the voluntary contribution “will increase to 95% -96%.” The high participation rates show that “the shipping industry is always present at the government’s bid for a better future for Greece,” Veniamis stressed.
