TA NEA

 

New property tax: More from the few and less from the many
Owners of real-estate valued at more than 300,000 euros will face higher levies under the new draft of the proposed property tax whereas there will be major reductions in the tax-bill faced by those with cheaper properties. Under the revised plan the tax on smaller homes will be up to 16% lower than initially proposed, while the tax on land-holdings will be up to 83% lower.

The provisions of the new draft will reduce the overall take from the controversial property tax by an estimated 260 million euros compared to the previous draft which was rejected by many coalition MPs.  

ETHNOS

Eurogroup aligned with Troika – Some praise, but also more pressure for Greece / Finance Minister Stournaras putting together a new packet of structural measures.
“A lot of progress has been made” the chairman of euro zone finance ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem acknowledged after a meeting of the group. However Euro zone finance ministers also stated that Greece must speed up structural reforms and continue fiscal consolidation and privatization efforts in order to unblock the next tranche of international loans necessary to keep the country afloat.

ELEFTHEROTYPIA

Self-flagellation in Piraeus
The sight of a crowd of Shia Muslims flagellating themselves may call to mind images from Kabul, or Bagdad but it was in Piraeus where hundreds of Shia Muslims self-flagellated yesterday – the day of Ashura – maintaining a tradition that dates back to 680 A.D. when Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, died as a martyr.

KATHIMERINI 

Consortium will build first mosque in Athens
Seven years since the decision was taken to build a state-funded mosque in Athens, a consortium of four big companies has announced plans to finally construct it.
Athens has not had a formal mosque since 1832 when Greece won independence from the occupying Ottomans. The country has been criticized by human rights groups including Amnesty International for being one of the few European capitals without a mosque.

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON

Employment Organization: Youth unemployment hits 60.6%
Last August saw record levels of youth unemployment according to statistics released by the official Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED). The overall unemployment rate itself rose to 27.3%, with young people seeing the highest rise by far in levels of unemployment.