Two of Greece’s best-known children’s charities have been hit with an expensive property tax bill for 2017, with the SOS Children’s Villages slapped with a 95,000-euro bill and the “Smile of the Child” organization handed a more than 70,000-euro obligation.
Both charities are among the approximately seven million individuals and legal entities that are subject to the unpopular ENFIA property tax for real estate holdings in Greece.
In a press release on Tuesday, the first charity said the annual property tax bill is “unbearable” and equals the cost of the yearly operation of a children’s and family support center. SOS Children’s Villages also said it receives no state funding for its programs and decried the fact that no provision has been made for tax breaks towards charities and benevolent organizations.
The specific property tax was first imposed by the previous Samaras government and kept in place by the current leftist-rightist coalition government.
