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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-07Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] European Commission extends pilot visa program for Turkish tourists to Greek islandsThe European Commission on Tuesday extended for a year a pilot program allowing Turkish visitors to get a short-term visa upon arrival at the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean, in an attempt to help boost local tourism which has crumbled after the islands were found at the forefront of the refugee crisis.European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos announced the decision after meeting with five mayors from the Aegean islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros in Brussels. These islands are hosting migrants under the EU-Turkey agreement signed in 2016. The pilot scheme started in 2012, when Avramopoulos was Greece's foreign minister and ended on 30 October 2016. Speaking after the meeting, the Commissioner said the program has proved to be beneficial, given not only the pressure of migratory flows, but also the ongoing economic crisis in the country. Avaramopoulos told the mayors of Lesvos Spyros Galinos, of Chios Manolis Vournous, of Samos Michalis Aggelopoulos, of Leros Michalis Kollias, and of Kos Georgios Kiritsis that they have responded to their mission with "a high sense of responsibility, expressing with humanity, dignity, much effort and trouble, these deeper feelings of the local community". [02] Finance ministry sources deny that new laws lowered taxes for MPs and persons in public officeThe changes in tax law introduced in 2016 ensure that political figures holding public office pay the same amount as any other citizen, finance ministry sources stressed on Tuesday in response to an article carried by the newspaper "Eleftheros Typos".The same sources stressed that the solidarity levy for such individuals was in all cases higher than the amounts that would have been payable under the Samaras-Venizelos taxation law passed in 2014. They noted that the tax burden on persons in public office was either lowered or increased, depending on their total income in the same way as for other tax-payers, so that those with higher incomes now had to pay more. According to the sources, the article also falsely claimed that an 8 pct taxation rate for persons in public office was introduced by the Samaras-Venizelos law in 2014 but this was not accurate. The original bill had actually reduced taxation rates by 30 pct, including the solidarity level for MPs, they said. The relevant sections of the 2014 law never came into force, however, because they were amended by a SYRIZA-ANEL bill in 2015 that introduced the 8 pct rate for persons in public office. The "Eleftheros Typos" article claimed that the new changes led to some MPs paying almost 2,000 euros less each year for the solidarity levy. The finance ministry countered that this sum should not be looked at in isolation and that the total tax burden for each individual should be taken into account, noting that the changes had made the taxation system fairer and shifted the burden away from lower incomes. [03] Coast Guard rescues 113 migrants aboard Maltese-flagged freighter off PaxiGreek Coast Guard rescued on Tuesday 113 migrants from a Maltese-flagged freighter Gagliarda that was sailing adrift 32 miles west of the Ionian island of Paxi and had issued a distress signal.One of the migrants on the vessel had earlier called the European emergency number 112 asking for help. It is not yet known if there were children among the passengers, but their nationalities include 109 Pakistanis, three Syrians and one Indian. The ship is expected to sail into Patras port at 08:00 on Wednesday. The migrants will disembark and remain there temporarily. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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