|
|
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-01-07
CONTENTS
[01] Remittances sent abroad by immigrants total €194m, Supreme Court
judge says
[02] Christmas season turnover down 21-30 pct, report
[01] Remittances sent abroad by immigrants total €194m, Supreme Court
judge says
AMNA -- Remittances sent abroad by immigrants living in Greece total 194
million euros for the period between January and October 2012, according
to deputy public prosecutor Panagiotis Nikoloudis of the Supreme Court.
Nikoloudis, president of the authority on money laundering from criminal
and terrorist acts, told Parliament in a document that immigrants living
in Greece use mostly legal ways to send money abroad. The remittances
are mostly in small amounts of 300 euros to 1,000 euros and go mainly
to Asian countries like Iraq, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, as well as
to African nations. He said he had no data about money leaving Greece
illegally, besides customs arrests.amna
He also said plans were under way to tax most of the legally-earned money
sent abroad, in the case tax was not paid on it. He was resonding to a
query by a Golden Dawn deputy. amna
[02] Christmas season turnover down 21-30 pct, report
AMNA -- Christmas holiday shopping fell by 21-30 pct on average, putting
further pressure to an already suffering retail sector in the country, a
report by the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce said on Monday.
In the report, the vast majority of presidents of commerce groups
(57 out of 58) were quoted as saying that Christmas retail turnover
was significantly down compared with the same period last year. The
report said that the busiest day for the commerce sector was Christmas
Eve (December 24), which accounted for 40 pct of the holiday season,
followed by December 23 (23 pct) and New Year's Eve (16 pct). amna
The report showed that most consumers were not attracted by the opening
of shops for the second Sunday during the holiday season and it noted
changes in shopping habits of consumers, who focused on more affordable
items, while they also spent less this Christmas.
The clothing/footwear sector was the biggest loser of the season, as the
vast majority of commerce groups (50 out of 58) reported a significant
drop in the category's turnover. The food and toy categories were
the biggest gainers, with three out of 10 commerce groups reporting an
increase in turnover and another three reporting steady conditions in the
market.amna Commenting on the report, Confederation president Vasilis
Korkidis said the results of the Christmas season were very gloomy for
the future of commerce enterprises.
|