EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON

Bribes for the brass

New revelations over the defense system procurement scandal: dirty money also went to military officers

A pandora’s box has been opened regarding bribes received by high ranking military officials following the testimony to investigating magistrates of Panagiotis Efstathiou, the former representative of the German company STN ATLAS in Greece.

Mr Efstathiou, who is accused of bribery and money laundering, revealed that aside from politicians, military officers of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (GES), who he named, also received bribes over procurement contracts.

Ten individuals accepted a total of 3 million euros in bribes over the procurement of the 214 type submarines and the ASRAD rockets. 

KATHIMERINI

European Structural Fund absorption reaches 74%

Optimism grows as target for cohesion funds is surpassed

The absorption of european structural funds reached 74% according to data released yesterday by the development minister Kostas Chatzidakis, who expressed his certainty that from now on not one euro of available funds would go unused. Already 5 billion euros have been utilized which raises the hope that the remaining 5.8 billion euros available until the end of the program in 2015 will be absorbed without difficulty.

The target for cohesion fund absorption set by the Memorandum for 2013 was surpassed, reaching 118% of the target, as structural fund absorption rose to 4.6 billion euros, while the target was only 3.89 billion euros. As such, the total amount of public spending, including the national contribution passed 5 billion euros and the amount absorbed reached 74%. As Mr Chatzidakis explained, “Greece has put behind it the fear of losing structural funds, as over the next two years there is another 5.8 billion euros to be absorbed – an amount, in other words, only marginally bigger than the target we reached in just one year, 2013.”

HMERISIA

Exclusive: New draft law targets the beast of bureaucracy

In the crosshairs are 1,800 laws which ‘produce’ 4,600 administrative costs for businesses, citizens and the state

By the end of the month the reports of 13 committees of the ministry of administrative reform working in cooperation with the OECD will be completed.
Businesses to be freed from time-wasting and costly bureaucratic procedures
A wide-ranging draft law will be submitted to parliament with the signatures of most of the cabinet in order to avoid the issuance of presidential decrees.

The ‘minotaur’ of bureaucracy in numbers:
 

  • 6.8% of GSP – total cost of bureaucracy, the highest in the Europe of ‘27’
  • 2 billion – estimated cost to businesses
  • 41.8 million euros – the cost to publish in government papers the accounts and changes in statutes of association of companies
  • 1.88 million euros – the yearly cost for fishing licenses to be extended from 6 to 12 months 

AVGI

The EC leaves Samaras exposed

“The hope for Greece is that it may have partial access to the markets from 2015,” says the European Commission, giving lie to the government myth of a return to the markets and move to growth in 2014. On the 8-9th of the month the the European Parliament committee responsible for assessing the role of the troika will be in Athens. Samaras and Stournaras refuse to answer the committee over the need to adopt the Memorandum so as not to spark a battle with Venizelos!

Bank of Greece head George Provopoulos hints at a new Memorandum. [Syriza Euro MP] Nikos Chountis: “The Greek government has a duty to respond to the european parliament, has a duty to respond to the Greek people.”

NAFTEMPORIKI

Outstanding debts to the state explode

1 billion euros worth of taxes not paid due to lack of funds

22% of those required do not regularly file VAT returns

The financial distress of households and businesses which is the result of reductions in income and a dramatic increase in taxation are causing outstanding debts to the government to balloon.

Last November taxpayers failed to pay taxes worth 1 billion euros, with the result being that the outstanding debts to the state for the 11 month period of January to November of 2013 reached 8.26 billion euros. The total amount of unpaid taxes at the end of November reached 61.46 billion, or 33% of GDP, and with the addition of non-tax related debts the total amount owed to the state surpasses 63 billion euros.

Furthermore from data from the general secretary of public revenue, it appears that 22% of those required to do so do not regularly file VAT returns, while tax audits of many medium and large businesses are overdue.