Taxes on real estate, drinks, cigarettes, luxury items
According to information from the TV station "ANT1", the measures that will be included in the package of measures of the Minister of Finance, Vassos Siarlis, envisage doubling the tax on tobacco for twisted cigarettes, increase of the tax on alcoholic beverages, luxury tax and tax on customs asset position.
They also include the modernization of the inheritance and real estate tax and significant savings from the cut that will be included in the bonuses enjoyed by civil servants, which amount to 100 million euros on an annual basis.
Regarding the Automatic Indicator Adjustment, according to "ANT1", the intention of the Ministry of Finance is to stop granting to all those who have annual incomes that exceed 30 or 40 thousand euros per year.
The privatization of the Cyprus Stock Exchange is also under discussion, which is estimated to generate revenues ranging between 20 and 30 million euros.
Government sources, according to "ANT1", state that the measures will not include taxation of the lump sum amount given to civil servants, nor cut of the 13th salary, nor reduction of the bar in terms of tax-free income.
The same sources assure that next week the submission to the Parliament of the constitutional regulation is imminent, by which Cyprus will be obliged to have a balanced budget in 2014.
The unions express strong concern and ignorance about the measures of the Minister of Finance. In statements of the Secretary General of SEK, Nikos Mousseos, to "ANT1", it is pointed out that employees should not be the easy solution in both the public and the private sector and noted that in case of new measures there will be a dialogue.
At the same length are the statements of the Deputy Secretary General of PEO, Sotiris Fella, who stated that the opinion of his union is that any measures taken can not be loaded again on the shoulders of employees. There are other measures such as uncollected taxes that need to be reconsidered.
The Secretary General of DEOK, Diomidis Diomidou, underlined the red lines of his guild, noting that they have no information. The low-wage, the middle class, the retired and the unemployed can no longer contribute.
The President of the Union of Bank Employees (ETYK), Loizos Chatzikostis pointed out that they know nothing about the new measures that the government will take. He noted, however, that tomorrow they will ask for information in a meeting we will have with the Minister of Finance Vassos Siarlis and then they will be placed.
SotiraNews.com/iKypros.com
