Filenews 8 September 2024 - by Panicos Charalambous
In the land of starvation pensions, high wages – a travesty, the welfare state – tragedy, the incomplete health system, disabled education, unaccountable punctuality, party-political comedy and many others, we are currently recording another scandal.
The government has decided to raise taxes on betting- and rightly so - but not to alleviate the impact of some of the many problems, but - I heard - to help clubs pay off their debts to the state.
That is, it will use additional public money to cover the theft of public money and the illegalities of the unions.
For what else is theft when an association collects VAT and does not pay it to the state? What other than robbery is it when they cut taxes and contributions to the Social Insurance Fund and do not pay them to the state and the Social Security Fund? (Parenthesis: What does the lamented Minister of Labour say about this?).
What other than illegality is when, since 2007, governments have been giving away various sums owed to state coffers to unions, without them subsequently being consistent with their obligations!
Because, yes, this travesty has been recorded since 2007, when, on the eve of the 2008 presidential elections, the then Papadopoulos government gave the unions debts of approximately €19 million. The same tactic was followed by all subsequent governments and today the debts of the unions to the state are around €40 million.
In 2017, for example, former President Nikos Anastasiades, speaking at an APOEL event celebrating his 91st birthday, announced a relevant decision of his Council of Ministers.
They concerned old debts that were not going to be collected, and so it was decided to write them off, in the context of the clarification of public finances, the then Minister of State wanted to explain to us in the following days. Economics Haris Georgiadis.
That is, according to the former minister, whoever does not pay to the state and allows his debts to increase and become "uncollectable", then they are written off!
But why they were allowed to become "uncollected" for so many years, no one to date has told us. Nor, of course, does the Christofias government, which during its own term of office did not take care to implement the legislation or, at least, the scandalous agreements of 2007 with the unions.
And the scandal continues today. After all, the government of Mr. Christodoulides decided, instead of collecting the debts owed by the unions, to increase taxation and consider the increased revenues as monthly instalments of the unions to pay off their debts!!
Things unheard of, world originality, but completely Cypriot or, if you like, banana. Like that notorious AKEL with the Annan plan, which decided to support "No in order to cement the Yes"!
From the New Tax window
Of course, there is another aspect, if one looks at things a little slyly: a new tax will be introduced through the window. Thus, on the one hand, the Government's revenues will increase and, on the other, unaccountable unions will be served again!
And all this, all these years, with the tolerance of all the Advocates General who bathed in their anatomical chairs and their high salaries, their high lump sums and their fat, later, pensions.
You see, the deep state is so deep that it leaves no one untouched. Nor the assistant prosecutor, whose position was recreated to settle another member of the deep state. The absent Attorney-General should tell us - at least - whether there is an issue of unequal treatment of natural and legal persons, because I do not think that other citizens of this state or other companies are treated in the same way by football companies. There is also discrimination against unions that comply with their obligations.
Certainly, this time, from what we know - because there is certainly much we do not know and about which those responsible close their eyes and ears - things are different. Because, the Minister of Finance Makis Keravnos flashed and thundered and assured us that it is the last time and the state will never again give away to the unions!!
So, idiots – citizens of Kypristan, you can sleep quietly and deeply... Have a good night's sleep!!
*Journalist
