180 million euros is estimated to be the amount that the thousands of Greek Cypriots who go daily to the pseudo-state of the Turkish-occupied territories of the Republic will leave at the gas stations of the occupied in 2022, to fill their cars with fuel.
At the same time, the Government sees with folded hands, and without taking any substantial initiative, the economy of the occupying regime being aggressively stimulated at the expense of the public funds of the Republic, due to uncollected taxes, and at the expense of the gas station owners, who have their businesses on the respirator, waiting for at least the obvious to be done: to apply the Green Line regulation.
The information and figures that exist on the amount of fuel purchased by Greek Cypriots in the occupied territories do not allow accurate reports, due to the absence of valid statistics in the pseudo-state. However, relevant calculations of government agencies, organizations and commercial links converge that:
Approximately 15% of the total annual motor fuel consumption by Greek Cypriots is purchased from the occupied gas stations. It is underlined that the Cypriot Consumers' Association considers that this percentage, for 2022, amounts to 25%.
The value of the fuel (at retail prices of the free areas) that Greek Cypriots buy from the occupied territories is estimated at 15 million euros per month, which means that on an annual basis it reaches 180 million euros (for 2022). Something, moreover, which is also confirmed by the Cyprus Shopkeepers' Association.
Based on these numbers, the Republic of Cyprus is estimated to lose, in 2022 alone, around 80 million euros.
These are uncollected consumption taxes, amounting to 44 cents per liter for 95 octane petrol and 41 cents per liter for diesel, but also for uncollected VAT of 19%.
In 2019, the state lost over €88 million.
Besides, in 2019 - the last year before the pandemic - measurements by the Cypriot Consumers' Association showed that Greek Cypriots' purchases of fuel from the occupied territories reached 162 million euros. In fact, based on the price of fuel, the VAT and the Consumption Tax, which were in force at the time, it is estimated that the Republic of Cyprus lost a total of over 88 million euros in taxes, while the gas station owners lost revenue of 7.380.121 euros.
Cost more than twice as "smart" with "golden passports"
In simple words, every year the Republic of Cyprus loses at least 80 to 85 million euros in uncollected taxes due to the inaction with which it deals with the illegal purchase of fuel by its citizens, from occupied gas stations.
If one considers that, from the infamous non-application of the European VAT Directive to the properties of the "golden passports", the Republic lost 204 million euros in 7 years, while from the non-application of the Green Line regulation, with conservative calculations, it loses over 560 million euros for the same period (and only with regard to the illegal purchase of fuel), then one understands the scandalous size of the problem and the urgent need to activate the competent services.
Where lies the illegality
Beyond politics, ethics, etc. dimension of the issue, the going of Greek Cypriots to the occupied territories to supply fuel constitutes, according to the Green Line regulation, illegality.
Based on the Green Line regulation, the movement of goods from the occupied territories to the free areas of the Republic is allowed only if these products are produced entirely in the occupied territories or if they undergo processing or processing in the occupied territories before their promotion for final sale. Something that does not apply in any case to the fuel in the pseudo-state, which comes from Turkey and is distributed to the sales stations of the occupied.
In addition, the fuel in the possessions is a product that is not subject to the required and legal environmental and quality controls, in order to ensure its use as provided for by European legislation.
The Government got it...
These two arguments are put forward by the organized gas station owners, who are, as they reported in "Simerini", under tremendous pressure, especially in the area of free Famagusta and Nicosia.
"We are crying out to be heard and we are asking for at least the obvious: The implementation of the Green Line regulation, in order to limit the unfair competition that leads our businesses to the ventilator," said the press representative of the Stockists' Association, Christodoulos Christodoulou, to "S".
On the other hand, government sources said that "the whole issue is being monitored and various considerations are being considered in order to find ways to deal with it". However, we are told there is little chance of resolving the issue because it relates to "sensitive political issues".
"We can't control because it will cause inconvenience at roadblocks"
However, in inter-departmental meetings, in order to find ways to deal with the issue, thoughts such as fuel tracing (that is, to be controlled through some substance - with color or smell - which will therefore be added to the fuel), an increase in existing controls in tanks were put on the table etc. But they all stumble in the impossibility of carrying out extensive checks on roadblocks.
"The crossings are several million every year. If we check the tanks of every car that passes from the occupied to the free areas, it will cause a lot of inconvenience," said a government source.
"And what shall we do?"
To the clarifying question "that is, the state allows illegality to take place, which in fact costs tens of millions for the public coffers, in order not to trouble those who commit illegality?", the answer was "and what should we do?"...
Applying the law, however, is a good start...
Confiscations of cylinders at roadblocks
As mentioned by competent officials at "S", "in recent times the checks have increased and every day, cylinders with fuel are confiscated from passing vehicles that Greek Cypriots are trying to cross into the free areas from the occupied areas".
When it comes to commercial vehicles, such as taxis and trucks, fuel checks are a given for everything without exception.
According to information from "Simerini", in recent times the controls have not only increased at the barricades through which vehicles and pedestrians pass, but along the entire length of the opposition line.
“We have increased patrols and surprise checks along the LoC to curb, among other things, smuggling. You understand that this is a difficult task and controls that extend over a length of approximately 185 kilometers and often in difficult areas".
OCCUPIED
JCC: More than 13 million euros in card payments in the summer
Card payments from Cypriot banks in the occupied territories exceeded 13 million euros this summer, according to JCC data. The data on the use of Cypriot bank cards in the occupied territories, secured by "Simerini", concern the months of June, July and August (until 29/08) of 2022 compared to the previous three years. These data show that the amount for this year has doubled compared to the corresponding period in 2019 (before the pandemic). Specifically, for the three months of summer this year, the turnover reached 13.385.949 euros, while for 2019 it amounted to 6.116.315 euros. Of course, it is important to mention that the overall use of cards this year increased considerably compared to 2019. In 2020, a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic with the roadblocks remaining closed due to restrictive measures during most of the year, payments by Cypriot bank cards in the occupied territories reached only 568.072 euros, while in 2021 they reached 4.140.635 euros.
Source: Today