5 replies to this topic

[Ton]

The banana republic of Greece has F....d up big times again. It's a good job the E.U is there to remind them that E.U laws are to be obeyed by all member states no excemptions.

Greece recently made some new laws to collect money to pay for the anarchists damages so they decided to punish the foreigners and greeks living abroad who buy property in Greece. Specifically the new Greek Law exempts all permanent living in Greece residents from the tax of property purchase and transfer, declared as 1st residence but penalizes with Taxes all non permanent residents. E.U claims that this tax law violates its rules for free movement and residence of its citizens.

More details in Greek:
http://voria-tis-ath...-post_4865.html

For your information and for those who own propertie(s) in Greece another new law recently came out called "ΕΝΙΑΙΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΑΚΙΝΗΤΩΝ " Yearly Property Tax" taxes all citizens with a yearly tax which is calculated based on the location and size sq. meters of the property. The government works out the value of your property and multiplies the value by 0.10 and sends you a bill. For example a property worth 200000Euro pays a yearly Tax of 200 Euro. Land which is located outside the village or city (in Greek agrotemahio) is not taxed.

[Dinny]

It seems perfectly OK to me! If the law exempts for taxes on 1st residence, it is obvious that non-resident foreigners and Greeks living abroad are NOT buying a "1st residence", since they already live somewhere else in their "1st residence" and will continue to do so except for visits to Greece.

There is a similar law in Italy - which is why so many people are actually able to buy a house. If they then decide to buy another house, maybe in order to rent it to somebody, they have to pay these taxes.

I can't see how EU is planning to win this?

[David and Glenda]

And just why should holiday/2nd home owners pay for the excesses of the greek nationals who caused all the damage?
If they're going to apply a tax to pay for reparations, then it it should apply to everyone, not be discriminatory as this tax so blatantly is!

[Ton]

Dinny the point of E.U is that foreigners get penalized for purchasing their 1st residence/house in Greece if not staying permanately in Greece. So if you work and rent a flat in London but you buy your 1st home in Greece you get penalized and you have to pay a tax when purchasing a home (Foros metavivasis- something like transfer of title tax). Additionally under certain circumstances Greeks living abroad don't have to pay this tax. I believe E.U simply wants to make the law fair and equally being applied to all E.U citizens.

[Dinny]

David, I'm quite certain that this tax is not specified as "tax to recover from damages"!

If I could read Greek I am sure I would find an explanation something like "To help permanent residents to buy their first and primary residence in Greece this law excempts them from paying the title transfer taxes on the 1st residence".

A 2nd residence is to be considered a "holiday home" - I guess, unless you can prove that you work half/half in both countries and therefore is entitled to have a residence in both places.

[liveirisjul]

The new Greek Law exempts all permanent living in Greece residents from the tax of property purchase and transfer, declared as 1st residence but penalizes with Taxes all non permanent residents... that is a new one...


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