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Greece to Reform Administration, Tax System, Root Out Corruption – Official

© AFP 2023 / ARIS MESSINIS A man picks up a Greek flag placed on a street pole after a military parade in central Athens marking the Greek Independence Day on March 25, 2015
A man picks up a Greek flag placed on a street pole after a military parade in central Athens marking the Greek Independence Day on March 25, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Greek government is planning sweeping reforms in administration, taxation and electoral systems and will root out corruption and illegal trade.

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ATHENS (Sputnik) The current Greek government is planning sweeping reforms in administration, taxation and electoral systems and will root out corruption and illegal trade, Christoforos Vernardakis, the secretary general on government work coordination said Monday.

Vernardakis said in an interview with RIA Novosti that on Monday, Greece will present some of these reforms to Brussels.

“The reforms we have ready, contain most importantly a number of alterations to the administrative system… that will still bring big financial profit. We will free the state budget from burdens in 2015 and for the next 2-3years,” Vernardakis said.

According to the official, harmonization of Greek legislation with European Union standards will bring more than $3 billion to the country’s budget over the next three years.

Other reforms include those of corruption, taxation, tax immunity for the wealthy, and the contraband trade of fuel and cigarettes.

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Vernardakis added that government plans include canceling tax exemptions for Greek ship owners, currently in possession of almost 20 percent of the world merchant fleet but who, according to the Greek official, pay less taxes then recent immigrants working in lowly service jobs.

“Currently, immigrants, including those who live in the country illegally and pay some 40-50 euro to get a job or a residence permit are bringing more money to the state budget than the ship owners’ capital… This has to be changed and if they [ship owners] decide to leave the country – let them go,” Vernardakis said.

Vernardakis also said that it is a myth that Greece has more state employees than other European states and noted the country conducted a recent administrative reform to reduce the number of ministerial advisers on government payroll from what had been up to 30 down to a maximum of five.

Greece's debt to the troika of foreign creditors, comprising the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, is estimated at some $270 billion.

In February, Athens and Eurozone finance ministers agreed to extend Greece's bailout for four months in exchange for a promise by Greece to implement more reforms, some of which are to be unveiled Monday.

On Sunday Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said measures like cutting salaries and pensions or forced mass resignations were not part of the negotiation.

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