Unter anderem ist Griechenland bereit, die Gehälter im öffentlichen Dienst massiv zu kürzen. Die Mehrwertsteuer soll zum zweiten Mal in diesem Jahr erhöht werden. Zudem plant Athen, das Rentenalter von 53 auf 67 Jahre heraufzusetzen, um Hilfen vom Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) und der EU zu erhalten.
Den Ruheständlern drohen zudem weitere Einschnitte. Sozialminister Andreas Loverdos sagte der Financial Times, dass die Saisonzuschläge der Pensionäre gestrichen werden. Zu Ostern, im Sommer und zu Weihnachten erhalten sie bisher einen Aufschlag. "Der Zeitplan für die Maßnahmen bei den Renten ist noch in der Diskussion", sagte Loverdos der FT. "Aber da ist nicht viel Spielraum - es geht darum, das Land vor dem Kollaps zu bewahren.".....
www.ftd.de/politik/europa/...beugen-sich-dem-iwf/50107928.html
Eurointelligence mit Zweifeln und Details aus der englischen FT:www.eurointelligence.com/article.581+M5d4283ff922.0.html
The measures include, according to the FT
· Two to three percentage points increase in value-added tax
· Three-year public sector pay freeze; recruitment frozen
· Abolition of ‘13th and 14th monthly salary’ for public sector workers; 5 per cent cut in allowances
· No renewals for short-term public sector contracts
· Closure of more than 800 out-dated state entities
· Opening up of more than 60 ‘closed-shop’ professions
· Overhaul of pension system: raising average retirement age to 67 for men and women; cutting state corporation pensions.
· Privatisation: sales of state corporations; flotations on Athens stock exchange; sales and leasing of state-owned properties
The question about this package (and indeed probably about any other package) is whether it can stave off insolvency. We will have to see what the growth assumptions are, when the details are announced over the weekend (and also what exactly the headline number of €24bn refers to), but from our own calculations it does not appear that the overall size of the package will be sufficient to produce a primary surplus sufficiently large enough to stabilise the debt-to-GDP ratio. We will attempt a solvency calculation, once we have the details. But even with those headline figure, the budgetary measures are significant, especially the controversial cut in the 13th and 14th monthly payment for state workers, and the general increase in the pension age.
und die Reaktion von Papandreou gegenüber den Gewerkschaften:ungerechte Budgetkürzungen
April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister George Papandreou is starting his sales pitch to the Greek people as unions denounce “unjust” budget cuts linked to a potential $159 billion European Union-led bailout.
“We find ourselves before the most savage, unprovoked and unjust attack,” Spyros Papaspyros, head of the ADEDY civil servants union, said in Athens late yesterday after meeting Papandreou. “The answer will be given in the street.”
Moody’s Investors Service warned that Greece could be vulnerable to a “multi-notch” downgrade if measures don’t go far enough. ....
“I got a taste of a very tough package,” Yannis Panagopoulos, head of the GSEE union, said after meeting Papandreou. He described it as “arbitrary and unjust.” Greeks may also be shifting money out of the country in the face of higher taxes and more austerity measures. Deposits in Greek banks fell for a third month in March, leading to a 4.5 percent drop in the first quarter. That coincided with a fourth monthly increase in deposits held in Cyprus by local branches of Greek banks on the island.
Voters’ anger about further cuts has been partly focused on the IMF and the political risks facing Papandreou are highlighted by the lender’s most recent involvement in Europe..... Sixty-five percent of Greek voters polled by researcher Alco for the Proto Thema newspaper last week said Papandreou must reject any measures that lead to more wage and pension cuts. ......
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aW6LO1F6UkkE
