Erasure of 500 million VAT owed by German Hochtief in Greece

Since 2009, the year that started the economic crisis in Greece, the rulers call the people to sustain the government's plans in order to see a bright day again.
The question is whether only the Greek people are obliged to comply with the government's will....

The answer of course is "YES" ... The government continues to behave to some as to "sacred cows" and turn a blind eye ridding them of their obligations to pay taxes to the State.

While the "Rambo" of Financial Crime chasing furiously the breadwinners even for small amounts, at the same time leave untouched the giant companies that refuse to pay the legitimate in the state.

One of them is the German company Hochtief, which operates the airport "El Venizelos ". Hochtief owes about 500 million of tax not paid and refuses to pay. This means that Hochtief is by far the largest tax debtor in Greece.

It is very provocative the fact that Hochtief not only does not pay VAT to the state, but it collects it, arguing that it is entitled "clearing", but without any trace of such a right.

Only for the years of 2001, 2002 and 2003 the VAT due is totaling 150.295.602.1 Euros, according to the supplementary audit report value added tax, edited by the Special Control Service.

According to the report, the total tax certificate for 2001 is EUR 148,562.724 in 2002 is EUR 813,410.12 and the 2003 is 919.468 euro!
Intertwined interests

Meanwhile, all these years the German Hochtief looks for "loopholes" in the Greek legislation to avoid paying VAT. For example, argued that on luxuries, amusements or entertainment (selling drinks, cigarettes, parking, etc.) are exempt.

The scandal, however, is what the Greek state does: although the State Legal Council rejected three times the request of the company to be spared of the payment of VAT to the state, the state itself grants the amount of half a billion euro exempting from now on the Germans from the obligation to pay VAT.

The question of course is why the state does not treat Hochtief as it treats all Greek companies and individuals. Why the state proceeds to conservative estate foreclosures, why imprison people who owe the government smaller amounts, while in the same time the company in question was not forced to pay the amounts due, but allowed to collect income from VAT which Hochtief owes to the state!

At the same time, the German company has not paid insurance contributions for the construction of the project, which exceeds ONE BILLION EUROS!
It is obvious that the State has double standards. On the one hand they are chasing the breadwinners and on the other hand they deleted the debts of the German colossus.

The government must give clear answers as to what will happen to the taxes owed by Hochtief - since this is not a negligible amount.

The position of the Parties

The opposition speaks of a megaton scandal while the other parties of the coalition "chew" their words and speak about a special status quo for Hochtief.
Voultepsi: The state has not waive

The engagement is due to the special status quo for airports worldwide.

The contract provides that for any difference between the state and the company there is the ability of recourse to the arbitral tribunal.

The Hochtief appealed to the Court of Arbitration of London which ruled that the airport is subject to a special tax regime and therefore should be a specific setting.
The case is now up to the Greek Justice and the decision is expected.

The Greek government has not given up as they say, but it awaits the decision of Justice. Of course the state must collect the sum due by Hochtief, but first it must be clarified the specific status of the airport.

Lafazanis: the German companies in Greece are state within a state.

It is inconceivable that any debts to the Greek state are not fulfilled. It is possible that German companies are above the law in our country and essentially operate as a state within a state.

Mr. Lafazanis also stressed that the airport and the airport companies are exempt from the Single Tax Property, which is paid by all.

Rachel Makris: "The orders of Samaras seem to be unable to compel the German Hochtief to yield 500 million owed to the Greek People"

The coalition of allegiance to the troika's decisions for degradation of the State and for deregulation of the Greek Market tries to hide behind the alleged surpluses to cover the scale of the humanitarian crisis it has created. The rulers are particularly effective in cuts to pensions and wages, in the destruction of the work framework that enables the exploitation of workers under the fear of unemployment, in the over-taxation of self-employed leading them in bankruptcy. They are the same people who slavishly bow their heads to the demands of the Germans, and while they set up businesses based on "bribery" and corruption, are now demanding exorbitant amounts of alleged debts from the citizens.

The orders of Samaras while turning against Greek citizens, it seems that they are not strong enough to compel the companies of German's interests to meet their obligations to the Greek State. First, was the compromise for Siemens and then the indifference to recover € 500 million of the company "Athens International Airport", whose main shareholder is the German Hochtief. The Germans are receiving the VAT but they do not pay, according to press reports, citing rights of "clearing", the legalistic procedures and tricks.

The government's inaction on this issue proves more than incompetence, as the participants in the coalition cannot implicitly provide for such rights in multinational enterprises, while the Greek owners of small and medium enterprises have not the right of set and are facing economic strangulation.
Margaritis: being penny wise and pound foolish

Raises legitimate questions and concerns, the attitude of the Greek government, when it appears to facilitate Hochtief and at the same time to exhaust their severity to the Greek taxpayers.

Here goes the "being penny wise and pound foolish"!

We will continue to bring the matter to the House waiting for a response from the relevant ministers.

Christos Katsotis : The government is exposed

The issue is about the class. The monopolies and multinationals remain untouched with the government's decision. We have placed many times in the House on this issue but we never got an answer, nor by Mr. Stournara nor by Mr. Staikouras nor by Mr. Mavragani. The government is exposed. It is robbery of the taxes by multinationals and monopoly groups. One of them is Hochtief. We will return to the issue, but the government has already formulated this policy. Give everything to the investors.

Golden Dawn: Full allegiance of Samaras-Venizelos to the German interests

They have deleted overnight, a debt of 500 million Euros

The sad State of the memorandum made another legal challenge, demonstrating once again their size dependence of the trustees and of the foreign interests that dominate our country. After ten years, the controversy, via the judicial route, between the Greek government and the German company Hochtief, has ended.
The "detail" is that while the Legal Council of State rejected three times the claim of the company to spared his payment of VAT to the state, is now the state itself that gives the amount of half a billion, by exempting henceforth the Germans from the obligation to pay VAT.

The same state that has slashed salaries and pensions, which grade every aspect of working right, which has led to unemployment the one third of the population and thousands of our countrymen to suicide, it deletes overnight a revenue that should be received by a foreign company, whose business activities were characterized as an "investment", i.e. activities that would generate huge profits in state funds.

It seems that the brutal bullying and the craftiness of Samaras and of his ilk stands only for "the poor and simple people". For the same people that for years now hear tales of growth and equitable distribution of the tax, although he does everything that Merkel and the foreign moneylenders want, in the name of ....memorandum friendship.

PS. The issue was highlighted by the Golden Dawn, in question tabled by the illegally and unjustly imprisoned MP of Attica, George Germenis, under parliamentary control.