Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-03-28

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Samaras chairs broad finance ministry meeting

[01] PM Samaras chairs broad finance ministry meeting

Also attending the gathering was Labour Minister John Vroutsis, who left the meeting earlier.mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

The meeting was held in view of the next visit to Athens by the EC-ECB-IMF troika of Greece's international lenders, on April 3, and focused primarily on the execution of the 2013 state budget and the settlement of state debts owed to the private sector.mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

A government source appeared optimistic that all pending issues in negotiations with the troika will be settled by April 12, one day before Eurogroup's Ireland meeting.mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

Replying to a question regarding latest developments in Cyprus, the same source said "it is too early to assess repercussions… Surely, there is an overall negative psychology, but this applies for the whole of Europe."mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

Other issues examined during the meeting included a reliable plan to be submitted to the troika regarding the mobility of public servants and the "compulsory exit" of a specific number of state employees.mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

The abolition of the special tax on properties (EETHDE) is still an open issue, the source said. Discussion also centered on funding to social security funds and setting the amount of basic salary.amna mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

Officials said that the government still insists on its major demands, such as reducing VAT on food and restaurant services from 23 percent to 13 percent, and a reduction in the special consumption tax on heating oil.amnamso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#0F1419;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;

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