Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-09-24

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Three arrested in Greek anti-terror operation in Volos

[02] Finance ministry examines tax reform plans‏

[03] "Antikythera Shipwreck" exhibition travels to Switzerland

[01] Three arrested in Greek anti-terror operation in Volos

The three suspects, 36-year-old Giorgos Petrakakos and his girlfriend are wanted for a series of armed robberies which police believe they were committed together with jailed terrorist Nikos Maziotis, including a bank robbery in the town of Distomo last summer.

According to sources, the third person is not involved in a criminal case.

Weapons and a large number of cartridges were found in the house.

Police are carrying out an investigation.

[02] Finance ministry examines tax reform plans‏

The new tax legislation will be ready in November with the ministry already examining a plan to introduce all income categories with one single tax scale. The ministry is currently using a different tax scale to tax incomes from wages and pensions in relation with incomes from self-employed people or incomes from rents.

Alternate Finance Minister George Houliarakis said on Wednesday that "a revision of an income tax is aimed to become more progressive, with abolish unfair exclusions and to reform different tax rates based on income source which we think it has led to a great loss of revenue".

Wage and pension earners are currently taxed with a scale of three income scales and three rates (for incomes up to 25,000 euros a tax rate of 22 pct, for incomes between 25,001 and 42,000 a rate rate of 32 pct and for higher incomes a tax rate of 42 pct).

The ministry aims to design a more progressive scale, raising both scales and rates depending on incomes. The new changes will also include the integration of an extraordinary solidarity contribution with an income tax.

Income from rents are currently taxed with an 11 pct tax rate for incomes up to 12,000 euros and with a 33 pct tax rate for higher incomes. Under the memorandum signed with the country's creditors, these rates must be raised to 15 pct and 35 pct.

Finally, incomes of self-employed people are currently taxed with tax rates of 26 pct for sums up to 50,000 and 33 pct for higher incomes. Farmers are also expected to see higher tax burdens as a tax rate is expected to be raised from 13 pct to 20 pct in 2016 and to 26 pct in 2017.

[03] "Antikythera Shipwreck" exhibition travels to Switzerland

More than 370 exhibits of the shipwreck will be presented for the first time abroad.

The exhibition is divided into five sections. Apart from the introduction to the socio-historical context of the time, it refers to the ancient sailing boat (boat, life on board, the trip), the tragedy of the sinking and the treasures found on the seabed.

More than 800,000 people have visited the exhbition in two years at the National Archaeological Museum.

The exhibition also features a section on underwater archaeological research, showing the recovery methods of the shipwreck and the study of underwater archaeological site from 1900 until the summer 2015.

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