ND leader: To whom does off-shore companies amendment apply?
May, 30 2016 Author: newsroom
He lashed out at the government and the prime minister
The leader of main opposition New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, asked the government to stop playing games and tell the truth about the amendment on the article 178 of the omnibus bill passed in Greek parliament a few days ago.
According to the article, MPs and ministers are allowed to own offshore companies located in tax cooperating countries.
Speaking at ANT1 TV channel he lashed out at the government and the prime minister saying “To whom does this amendment for off-shore companies apply? The government must answer on that”.
He also said that with the last tax bill approved by the government, “Mr. Tsipras does not protect the weak,” adding that the prime minister “is not a reliable person”.
Referring to his party’s policy, he stressed that “we need a Truth agreement with citizens” adding that “There is another way. We can achieve the same objectives by reducing costs and avoiding tax hikes”.
Mr. Mitsotakis also stated that he continues asking for election, not because he is in a hurry to become prime minister, but because he sees that his country is being destroyed
Government off-shore article causes political backlash by all parties!
Revelations made by ‘Proto Thema’ cause political storm
The revelations by ‘Proto Thema’ weekly newspaper that
politicians are allowed to own off-shore companies is causing a
political ‘storm’. According to the piece in ‘Proto Thema’, article 178
of the omnibus bill, passed in Greek parliament last Sunday, permits MPs
and Ministers to own off-shore companies, as long as their headquarters
are in ‘tax cooperating’ countries, even if these countries are dubbed
‘tax havens’, like the British Virgin Islands, Bermudas or the Cayman
Islands.
Major opposition party New Democracy issued a tough
statement saying that the party that ‘stole’ the vote of the Greek
people in the name ‘of morality and transparency’ were legislating in
favour of MPs owning off-shore companies. The harsh statement blasts
SYRIZA as being the party of
‘hatred and division’ and that it is ‘shameful’. The party of the
‘Democratic Alignment’, made of PASOK and DIMAR called on the Greek
government to immediately withdraw article 178 from the bill.
The Greek Communist Party ‘KKE’ said in a statement the
article in the bill ‘not only allows MPs and Ministers to have off-shore
companies, but also paves the way to legitimise older ones owned by
politicians’.
‘To Potami’ (River) party accused the government of
‘washing clean the politicians who had off-shore companies and will
acquire one on the future’.
The ‘Centrists Union’ party said the government was
‘committing a crime’ with the article, while ‘Golden Dawn’ called for
the immediate withdrawal of the article.