By G. Palaitsakis
The “tax tsunami” that emerged in 2016 in order to conclude the first review of the Greek program (third bailout) carries over unabated in 2017, with an array of indirect tax hikes coming into effect in the beginning of the year.
Taxes and surcharges on everything from fuels to tobacco products come on line, along with the first-ever taxes imposed on electronic “cigarettes” and coffee.
The tax “avalanche” will also add a 5-percent surcharge to landline telephone connections, while other hikes are slapped on mobile phone connections and even subscriber television fees.
In terms of fuel costs, which in Greece are amongst the highest in the Eurozone, the increased consumer taxes mean a 0.7-euro tax on every liter of gasoline; diesel taxes will jump from 0.33 cents per liter to 0.41, while LG for vehicles will see an increase of 0.10 cents per liter, from 0.33 to 0.43 cents.
