Measures for Riot-Hit Shops and Businesses
Posted by evdomada on December 11, 2008
Prime Minister announced after his meeting with the cabinet today announced measures for riot-hit shops and businesses. The measures announced by the prime minister included an immediate relief payment of 10,000 euros for SMEs, a state grant of 50 percent of certified damages between 10,000 and 200,000 euros and subsidised 15-year loans for the remaining 50 percent of certified damage that will be guaranteed by the state and will also be available to firms that do not belong to the above two categories.
In addition to the above, he said that the government would arrange for 15-year loans on favourable terms to restore damaged buildings, five-year loans on favourable terms for working capital, a three-month suspension for stricken businesses of their outstanding debts to tax offices, social insurance funds and banks, in addition to other tax relief measures, and the payment of salaries, Christmas bonus payments and social insurance contributions for the employees of all businesses unable to operate until December 20.
Karamanlis said that red tape for those seeking compensation would be kept to a bare minimum, while the applications would involve few supporting documents and have to go through a three-member committee made up of a member of the local chamber of commerce, the local merchants’ association and the economy and finance ministry.
PASOK’s Answer
PASOK rep on issues of development Michalis Chrisochoidis on reference to the government’s measures for riot-hit shops and businesses made the following statement: “The government of fires and destruction answers once more after a national crisis that is caused exclusively by its inefficiency to handle it with the same consistent methods with for fire-hit areas; that is provision of 10.000 euros.
Unfortunately, these measures are not going to restore the huge financial hit the commercial world of big urban cities of Greece received. And that happened because the government could not and did not do what was obvious to the businesses that suffered smaller or bigger damages by vandalisms a few days before Christmas.
Source: Athens News Agency
