Greek car drivers formed queues with their car number plates at tax offices around the country in the closing days of the year, to hand in their car registration plates before they have to pay next year’s car tax.
When they hand over the plates to authorities, they will not have to pay road taxes. But without plates, cars must be immobilised.
That has translated to about 700 million euros in lost revenue for the Greek government over the last six years.
“Of course I will be left without a car. But if you can`t pay the fees, what can you do?,” asks one woman.
One man in the queue explains why he is handing in his plates: “Car maintenance, road taxes, all the expenses of the car…”
When asked by a reporter, “Do you intend to pick the car plates back at some point?,” he replies that “if circumstances allow, why not?”
The latest bailout agreement requires Greece to collect 150 million euros more from the car tax in 2016.
Euronews –
Edited YXamonakis
