Filenews 15 May 2022
By Socrates Ioakim
Till the end of August, according to cross-referenced information in the column, the government will extend the horizontal reduction of VAT on electricity and the reduction of the excise duty on fuel, in an effort to mitigate the effects of the galloping inflation. So far, € 180 million has been spent, according to data we have secured. to deal with the effects of the economic crisis, which will increase significantly by the end of the year. This action, however, is against the EU guidelines for targeted and short-term tax reliefs, but the government considered it necessary to extend the measure. In short, what the government has done is to keep prices for the whole population, rather than doing so in a targeted manner, which other countries have done, which has been maintained by other countries, which have maintained prices and from the extra revenues have supported all those who really needed it.
Changed CFO rolandos
This week, Rolandos Énterprises proceeded to the replacement of its chief financial officer Andrea Loizos with Mr. Charalambos Christodoulides. The reason for this change is to enable Mr. Loizou to provide his entirety with his time for the development of the external market regarding the company's products, something he has already been conducting since Amsterdam, where he has been since 2017. Mr. Christodoulides is an approved accountant and acts as an external associate of the company for various financial matters since 2020. Rolandos is engaged in the marketing of cosmetics, exporting to more than 20 countries.
Accommodation in Amman
Royal Jordanian Airlines is increasing its flights to and from Cyprus, upgrading the facilities and facilities for stationary flights in Amman and offering special offers for tourism in Jordan. Specifically, they announced that they will upgrade the connectivity and comfort of passengers travelling from Cyprus by offering them free accommodation in Amman hotels on flights from Larnaca to the USA, Canada or Asia. One of the pillars of Royal Jordanian's new strategy is to increase tourism in Jordan and in this direction there will be close cooperation with travel agencies and tour operators in Cyprus, through attractive agent fees for individual and group ticket packages, in order to increase the number of Cypriot travellers to Jordan.
National Development Agency
The Reform Directorate-General of the European Commission approved in 2021 a request from the Ministry of Finance for the provision of Special Technical Assistance for the creation of a National Promotion Agency. This new agency is expected to strengthen the state's initiatives to "bridge" funding gaps and improve access to finance for small and medium-sized and start-ups, as well as self-employed. A key part of the study is the analysis of access to finance data and the identification of funding gaps. In this context, as informed by the members of the CCCI, Ernst & Young Cyprus, which undertook the implementation of the project, carries out an online survey addressed to small and medium-sized and start-ups as well as to self-employed. In fact, he invites them to answer the questionnaire, so that they have a correct picture in relation to their financing needs.
Unsecured cheques
Unsecured cheques worth €438,000 were presented in April to Cypriot banks, according to data released by the Central Bank on Wednesday. It is the largest monthly value of unsecured cheques presented at least since 2020, while it corresponds to more than half of the total amount of unsecured cheques presented throughout 2020. Specifically, in January 2022 the total amount of unsecured cheques presented was €149,558, in February €93,811 and in March €64,852. In total, in 2021, unsecured cheques worth €933,945 were presented. According to the CBC's data, the number of natural and legal persons registered in the preliminary list from January to April 2022 is 81, while 69 persons were registered in the Central Information File (CAP) during the same period. In the preliminary list are recorded all the uncovered cheques presented to the banks, i.e. all the cheques that in their last presentation, and after 15 days have elapsed since the first presentation, remain unpaid due to lack or insufficient available funds of their issuer. The unsecured cheques, however, also reflect the difficulties that natural and legal persons currently face in meeting their obligations.
Complaint of M. Antoniou
"My friend, but it is time for you to write me in your column a humorous comment", OEB's general manager Michalis Antoniou told us with a complaint. If I tell you that I am waiting for the minimum wage to be announced in order to be inspired, will you believe me Michalis? However, when we conveyed to him the information that the amount will be locked close to €950, Mr. Antoniou gave us the impression that if this is the case, he will take to the streets for the first time to protest. However, the amount of the minimum wage will be locked in and announced later this month and the government's intention is to give businesses a period of 6 months to comply.
Hotel for sale in Laiki Geitonia
Hotel in old Nicosia sells for the amount of € 1.2 million. The Gordian Holdings. The property is a hotel known as "RIMI Hotel", in Tripioti district, Nicosia Municipality. It is located at the corner of Solonos Street and Aristokiprou Street, 150m from Eleftherias Square and 70m from Ledra Street. It abuts a pedestrian street (Laiki Geitonia) along its eastern border.
The hotel was renovated in 2000 and consists of ground floor, basement and three floors. The ground floor consists of a reception area, living room, restaurant, bar, kitchen, office and internal courtyard that has been converted into a storage room. It has a total of 26 rooms on two floors. The property, it is worth noting, may qualify for the new government incentives to revitalize the interior of the walls in Nicosia.
Reactions to the development of the State Report
The Municipality of Engomi publicly presented on Tuesday the general development plan (master plan) for the area of the state international exhibition. In fact, the study submitted foresees the creation of a large innovation centre in the region. The issue, however, provoked the reaction of the former president of ecologists George Perdikis, who said that the government decided to hammer this large state property, on the pretext of creating spaces for the development of businesses engaged in information technology and innovation. "They offer the land to an investor who will build apartment buildings with luxurious apartments, office and show rooms, cafes, restaurants, etc. Icing the bus terminal. And a 4-lane traffic avenue (Macedonia Avenue) that will unite this new large unified development (next to the state exhibition, at the same time, the Archdiocese is planning its own master plan) with the one at the Metochi of Kykkos. Concrete, asphalt and money. Otherwise, we are in green development, we are (as the late Iliopoulos would say)", concluded Mr. Perdikis. However, the information in the column indicates that during the presentation the reactions expressed were isolated and had more to do with traffic arrangements than with the implementation of the project.
