Finance ministry gives away debts up to 200 euros

The Greek Finance Ministry wants to leave aside at least 500,000 taxpayers that have minimal debts to the tax authorities but cannot pay them.

Confronting reactions to exclude debtors in the new arrangement, it plans to include in the multibill that will be submitted next week in parliament, provisions for non-collection of minor debts amounting to 200 per borrower.

Based on the latest figures from the Finance ministry, about half a million of the total 2.6 million borrowers owe 200 to 300 euros each. But these debts will not be "given away." If they get described as "uncollectible," the State will just look for other debtors to whom it will exert coercive measures to collect the money they owe (seizures, notices to guarantors and relatives etc).

But for the tax collection mechanism to focus on old debts that can be collected and new debts upon creation and before they reach enormous figures, 40-45 from 56.5 billion euros of debts will stay "in the drawer".