Media reports over the weekend upset Greeks as the reports claimed that the government plans to impose fines of up to 5,000 euros for those transporting olive oil without proper documentation. Initially it was said that the fines would affect transport of olive oil in 5-liter tins and later in 17-liter tins.
Aim of this measure was …what else? Combat tax invasion especially committed by small olive oil producers!
Furious Greeks started to post their angry and bitter comments on social media, fearing that the new measure would crush the well-known tradition that families, uncles, grannies, relatives and friends in the villages love to send at least one tin of the latest olive oil harvest to their loved ones in the cities.
“Does the government mean I have to issue and submit a transport invoice to authorities because I send oil to my children in the city?” a user asked.
“What? They will fine me if they find two tins of olive oil in my car trunk when I return from my home village?” noted another.
“Who will make the controls? The Olive Oil Police?” was the comment of another one.
“Ha!They should also check the storage of KTEL stations (intercity buses) where they store the gifts from the village to the people in the cities,” some stressed.
In the end comments on X turned into the usual entertaining threads with Greeks who know well how things run in the villages pointing out that “black-market” is widely spread outside the cities.
- -My mother buys eggs from our neighbor
- -In our neighborhood people buy tomatoes, chicken and potatoes from Mr Vasilis.
- -We get goat milk and cheese from Ms Maria.
- – They mentioned the black-trade in the market of pigs, chestnuts, walnuts and oranges and the list went far too long.
I could not resist the temptation and recall the 90-year-old father of a friend who once a year sends me veggies and fruits from his garden, eggs from his neighbor and a tray of gemista (stuffed vegetables) he makes himself for me.”Are we three going to jail?” I asked and the answer was YES, because the grandpa had not issue a document for the transport.
Παππους απο χωριο μου εχει στειλει 2 φορες γεμιστα με ζαρζαβ απ το μποστανι του, φασολακια, λεμονια, βερυκοκα. Α και αυγα σπ τον γειτονα του. Μεσα και οι 3 μας ε;
— Keep Talking Greece (@keeptalkingGR) January 12, 2025
I cleverly did not mention the occasional olive oil gift in winter. The old man with prophetic skills does not send it in tins, though, but in bottles.
All these users cheeefully agreed that they should denounce to tax authorities the villagers selling small portions of edible without issuing receipts and transportation documents.
Government dismiss reports
Anyway, following the outrage, Monday morning, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Christos Dimas, reassured small olive oil producers and consumers that the government had no plans to alter regulations governing the olive oil transportation
“We have not planned any changes to this. The rumors circulating in recent days are not true,” the deputy minister stated. In an effort to clarify the issue, he explained that the informal transportation of small quantities of olive oil is a long-standing practice in Greece. “For those who want to be fully compliant with the law, they can use smaller 5-liter containers,” he noted.
It should be noted that the existing law allows the transportation of olive oil without documentation only in containers of up to 5 liters. The 17-liter tins, which dominate the Greek market, will now require detailed documentation for transportation.
Producers, on their part, claim that these changes could place an excessive burden on small-scale producers, further reducing their already limited income.
Dimas further clarified that the regulatory framework governing olive oil transportation has been in place since 2017, emphasizing that there is no intention to alter the current system. He also explained that the informal practice of transporting small quantities of olive oil among friends and family continues without any legal violations.
The deputy minister also highlighted the government’s strategy for standardizing Greek olive oil. Dimas stressed that the government’s priority is to export Greek olive oil as a packaged product, increasing the wealth generated by the sector.
“We want to reduce the large-scale trade of bulk olive oil, as well as the practice of selling Greek olive oil to foreign countries where it is packaged and generates significantly greater value,” he added.
PS I cannot say if the ‘rumors’ were based or not or just a leak to check reactions. The usual mean Greeks expressed the suspicion that the measure was pushed by big traders and supermarkets after consumers turned their back to consumption of olive oil when its prices in SMs skyrocketed.
I missed these PS
They always provide much needed context for the uninformed regarding Greek culture.
My suspicion is that this was a trial balloon to see how people would respond. And indeed on the instigation of big teasers and supermarkets.
With so many more important mechanisms to collect taxes, this one seems a wee bit misinformed. Hopefully the government comes to its senses and goes after the real tax cheaters, of which there are soooooo many in Greece.