New Democracy blasts government for plotting real estate tax hikes

In eight years of economic depression, real estate prices in Greece have hit rock bottom, with hundreds of thousands of families who had invested their life savings in a home having lost billions of euros.

Following the imposition of a tax on the possession of real estate (now called ENFIA), there was talk for years of adjusting the tax valuation of properties, in order to match their commercial values, which were much lower.

Now, main opposition New Democracy is denouncing the government – which while in the opposition pledged to fully abolish the ENFIA tax – for plotting increases in real estate taxes by hiking the tax valuations of properties nationwide.

New Democracy spoke of outrageous increases and charged that the government’s about face is shameless.

It should be noted that the overhaul of tax valuations was a commitment demanded by Greece’s creditors.

New Democracy’s deputy spokesman, Nikos Romanos, issued a scathing statement in which he accused the government of raising taxes on poor property owners.

“The government, which allegedly was going to abolish the ENFIA real estate tax, is preparing to hike it, through increases in the tax valuation per square metre of properties, for the vast majority of Greek families, especially those that live in poorer neighbourhoods, or on the islands. The word ‘shame’ has disappeared from the vocabulary of the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government,” Romanos said.

The ND spokesman reiterated the conservative party’s pledge to cut the ENFIA real estate tax by 30 percent.

in.gr