Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-01-14

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] European Commission satisfied with ratification of tax bill by Greek Parliament

[02] Four banks pay back the state €555.6 million

[03] Greek government examines ways to boost investments

[04] Agreement signed for tram line extension to Piraeus

[01] European Commission satisfied with ratification of tax bill by Greek Parliament

Rehn's representative stressed that the tax bill's ratification constitutes a considerable step towards the simplification of the Greek tax system and the widening of the tax base. amna

He added that the tax issue as well as the increase in rates of the PPC constitute two of the most important prerequisites for the disbursement of the next tranche of the loans to Greece to be approved, amounting to 9.2 billion euros in January. He further said that the approval of the disbursement will be decided by the EFSF's board.amna

mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; Lastly, as regards Cyprus, O'Connor assessed that Pimco's report on the state of the country's fiscal system will be ready soon.

[02] Four banks pay back the state €555.6 million

"Tahoma","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419; Staikouras specifically informed the parliament that on December 12, 2012, Eurobank paid the Greek state €154 million, while Piraeus Bank paid €133 million, National Bank €115.6 million and Alpha Bank €153 million.amna

"Tahoma","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419; The letter was tabled in parliament in response to former parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis' accusation of Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras that he refrained from providing details regarding the recapitalisation operation of Greek banks, as well as of when the banks would pay back the funds owned to the state as a result of their first recapitalisation.amna mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US; "The government legislated and enforced the specific initiative in spite of the main opposition's estimations to the contrary," Staikouras said.

[03] Greek government examines ways to boost investments

Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, the finance minister said: "We discussed ways towards improving competitiveness in the industrial sector, it's a first step and we will continue discussions". amna

Commenting on a journalist's questions on whether the country has fulfilled all prerequisites for the disbursement of the next tranche of rescue aid, Stournaras said: "We are fulfilling them, slowly".

[04] Agreement signed for tram line extension to Piraeus

Work on the project is due to begin in March and is due to be completed by February 2015.amna The agreement, delayed by four years, was signed on Monday in the presence of Development, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Kostis Hatzidakis and Alternate Development Minister Stavros Kalogiannis, as well as Piraeus Mayor Vassilis Mihaloliakos. amna

Once complete, the journey from the PFS to Piraeus will take roughly eight minutes and serve an estimated 35,000 passengers each day. The 5.4-kilometre extension will include 12 additional stops and the total budget has been reduced from 91 million euro to 61 million euro, with funding from the EU's National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and the Attica 2007-2013 operational programme.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article