NAFTEMPORIKI

The electronic ‘net’ for transactions widens

By the end of March all transfers expected to be monitored

The General Secretariat of Public Revenue is moving towards the creation of a ‘dossier’ for every taxpayer. In conducting the cross checks to identify undeclared and illegal income, it will scrutinize all of a taxpayer’s deposits, debit cards, ATM withdrawals, payments at private clinics as well as insurance contracts. Even compensation payments made in the event of accidents, payments for private educational institutions and payment records for mobile phones, water and electricity must be sent electronically by the end of March to the eGovernment Divisions. All of the computer records that will be collected by the Finance Ministry will be cross checked with the information provided in this years tax statements submitted by taxpayers. Priority for audits will be given to groups considered ‘high risk’ of tax evasion.

 
 
 

 
   

ELEFTHEROTYPIA

Assessments a la Carte!

100,000 employees to be dismissed in advance

New rules establish 3 categories of workers

15% must be rated below standard
A ‘dictatorship’ of supervisors is being established

The dismissal of 100,000 employees in advance and the establishment of a dictatorship of supervisors, with the obligatory rating of 15% of the active employees as below standard are some of the provisions included in draft legislation submitted yesterday to parliament by the Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The new rules divide employees into three categories: the ‘bad’ who are given a rating of 1 to 6 and will make up 15%, the ‘excellent’ who will make up 25% and will have scores of 9 or 10, and the ‘average’ which will consist of the bulk (60%) of state workers and will be given scores of 7 or 8 by their supervisors.

Indeed the supervisors’ judgement for the last two categories – the ‘excellent’ and ‘average’ which will consist of 85% of the employees – cannot be questioned, as there is no right of appeal – a fact which foreshadows the pogrom of dismissals, silencings and submission which will prevail in the civil service in the coming years. In addition, the draft legislation eliminates 23 bodies with the result of 250 workers either being dismissed or entering the mobility scheme, and does away with the obligatory publication of balance sheets, the verification of copies of documents submitted and the verification of signatures.

 

KATHIMERINI

23 state bodies to be eliminated

The elimination of 23 state bodies and organisations is provided for by a draft law created by the Ministry of Administrative Reform and submitted yesterday to parliament. It also provides for the reassessment of all of the fixed term contracts that were made permanent by the ‘Pavlopoulos Law’, as well as the simplification of a range of administrative procedures. The draft law also provides for a new system of assessment for civil servants which will be put into effect when the bill is passed in early March and will be completed by the end of the same month, when the deadline expires for 12,500 civil servants to be removed from their positions and placed in the ‘mobility’ scheme. However the Ministry of Administrative Reform denies categorically any link between poor ratings of civil servants and dismissals. 

 

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON

A major patron of the Megaron Music Hall is the Greek taxpayer

Scandal at Athens Concert Hall

The bill for paying off the 230 million in debts owed by the Athens Concert Hall and guaranteed by the government is being sent to troubled Greek households. This provocative obligatory ‘patronage of the arts’ will come at a high price for Greek taxpayers and comes in exchange for a majority on the Concert Hall’s board of directors.

Beyond servicing the loans, every year the budget includes millions for the administrative costs of the organisation. Yesterday at a meeting in the office of Finance Minister Giannis Stournaras the foundations of the plan to save the concert hall were laid.

 

 
 
 

ETHNOS

Rescue operation for Ancient Olympia

The Archaeological Council is erecting a protective shield over the archaeological treasures of Olympia. The construction of supports for the monuments is considered a pressing need. The monuments are at further risk from climatic and geological phenomena.