Is this the Greek Poll Tax?

Anger mounting in Greece as government attempts taxation through electricity bills

For the past months, weeks, days, two questions have been in more and more peoples’ mouths, both with some increasing urgency: When will the Greek economy officially go bust, and what happens then? And, when will the excruciating austerity measures break the bone of social consensus – when will people have enough?

It seems like the government officials are doing their best to get answers to these questions sooner rather than later; almost unable themselves, it seems, to bear the agony of a free-falling economy and a society at the brink of the unknown. A few days ago, during the Thessaloniki International Fair, a new tax was introduced, very much reminiscent of Thatcher’s Poll Tax in the UK: every single house owner in the country is to face an “emergency tax” ranging between 3-20 euros per square meter (depending on their property value, location etc). Even people on unemployment benefits are not to be spared of the tax, only offered a hefty discount instead. Practically, this means that an average household of, say, three bedrooms (approx. 100 sq m.) would have to pay an additional tax of 1,000 euros (!) annually.

Reactions have been fierce; GENOP, the trade union of workers at the National Electricity Board announced this morning that it will actively attempt to block and sabotage collection of the tax, while it will challenge the law in court – since there is no clause in the contract between the Electricity Board and consumers regarding tax collection.

On Sunday, members of the “I won’t pay” movement are gathering in Syntagma.

The tax is the latest in a string of fiercely provocative government measures and laws. In the past weeks/ months alone, a sweeping neo-liberal reform bill, a staggering increase in VAT (from 13% to 23% for many products), the effective sacking of thousands of civil servants now give way to a tax that is to include the unemployed but will see religious-use buildings owned by the Church to be exempt. The Orthodox church is the largest property owner in Greece.

It should be noted that home-ownership is extremely widespread in Greece (and other Mediterranean countries) when compared to other northern EU countries – approximately 80% are owner occupiers, meaning this latest tax is aimed at the middle and lower classes too.

http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2011/09/16/is-this-the-greek-poll-tax-anger-mounting-in-greece-as-government-attempts-taxation-through-electricity-bills/