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That the Greek government is attempting to collect extra property tax through electricity bills is becoming a tragicomedy with every passing day. The Ministry of Finance has been forced to issue a new regulation that has not yet been officially announced and according to which the deadline for the payment of bills will double from 40 to 80 days from the date they were issued. However, this will apply to the future instalments. All property owners will have to pay the first instalment regardless of the errors in the calculation of the tax, or whether they belong to the weaker social groups, whose payments will be cancelled. The text indicates that the difference will be deducted from future electricity bills, i.e. no one will get their money back, although it is not the citizens alone who are responsible for the errors in calculating the tax.

Consumers can submit requests for correction of inaccuracies to municipalities by January 20. In the coming days, the electricity company DEI will send to the municipalities the electronic lists of all properties in the country. Then, municipalities will update the data for the inhabitants in their territory and will send the lists back to the DEI up until 27 January. When the company receives the lists, it will forward them to the specialized department at the Ministry of Finance, which will check the prices in each residential area. Then, the lists will be returned to the electricity company by February 10. Only then, the extra tax will be calculated. It will be included in the next electricity bill together with the deduction of the amounts resulting from the errors made.  

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance every day is adding new citizens to the list of those who will not be obliged to pay the tax. To the disabled with over 80% disability and people having life-saving devices were added people with severe physical disabilities such as mental retardation, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, regardless of the degree of disability.

Three-member committees involving a tax officer, a social worker and a policeman will be formed in all tax departments. They will examine on the spot the applications of those citizens who want to be exempted from the payment due to low income, unemployment, etc.

The Greek Ombudsman Kaliopi Spanou urged the Ministry to solve the "serious problems that are associated with the imposition, calculation and collection of the extra tax." She stressed, "in all cases, cutting the power supply is too severe a measure, especially for the specific social groups that need special protection. Imposing power cuts on individuals who are unable to pay the extra tax is deprivation of a basic benefit, required for heating, nutrition and cleanliness of people and their homes." In this context, the institution is already mediating with the power company not to cut off the power of one citizen, who is not able to pay the tax and suffers from severe respiratory problems, requiring a mechanical device in order to breathe.

"Having the power cut off by the DEI due to non-payment of the extra property tax violates a European Union directive," said the Member of European Parliament from the left coalition SYRIZA, Nikos Hundis, citing the opinion of Commissioner Günther Oettinger.

The Commissioner explained that the European Directive does not contain regulations, creating dependency between the right of access to electricity from tax liabilities of households or their individual members. The Greek Ministry of Finance replied that the law imposing the extra tax and the Greek legislation generally provide full protection of needy consumers. "The prerequisites and criteria of European legislation are fully respected," says the message of the Ministry. Commentators argue that the specific Directive has not yet been introduced into Greek law and that the financial institution based its statement on this fact. It is not clear what the consequences of this action might be if a citizen or an association of citizens files a claim to the European Court, having in mind the obligation of member states to implement European Union regulations and directives in their legislations.

At the same time, the police have stopped the occupation, which DEI unionists began on Sunday in the building where power cuts orders are issued. They did not let anyone enter it and turned off the electronic system that connects all cash desks of the company. As a result, thousands of citizens had to wait in long queues to pay their bills, because payment had to be made in the old manual way with a stamp. Yesterday, trade unionists were arrested and taken to the prosecutor. However, their trial was postponed to November 30 because witnesses could not reach the courtroom. The reason for this was the dozens of trade unionists from other state enterprises and supporters of left parliamentary and extra-parliamentary formations that had gathered there to protest. According to sources, the company's management has not even tried to pass through the assembled multitude. Unionists were released in the late afternoon on Thursday. They went immediately to the building heavily guarded by police, where supporters of the Communist Party, the coalition SYRIZA, citizens and representatives of some local authorities awaited them. President Nikos Fotopoulos repeated the intention of the trade union to prevent power cuts of any needy individual.