Ferry tickets: Plans to cut back VAT on automobiles – 2024-07-30 03:31:56

The federal government is shifting in direction of a discount of VAT on automobile ferry tickets, because the Minister of Transport, Christos Stylianidis, revealed at the moment within the Parliament. As he said, “a parallel negotiation is underway with the Ministry of Finance as a way to harmonize the VAT imposed on Non-public Use automobiles and machines, primarily based on the European Directive 2022/542”.

It’s recalled that the VAT on automobile ferry tickets is at 24% and the dialogue going down based on data is to cut back it to 13%. It must also be famous that the Ministry of Transport can verify whether or not this discount will cross the ticket because the ferry corporations are required to tell inside three days of any adjustment of their ticket.

Answering a associated query within the Parliament, Mr. Stylianidis estimated that the costs of tickets for typical ships are steady and barely reducing and elevated for high-speed ships and intra-island connections.

The ferry tickets

He additionally emphasised that because of the Mitsotakis authorities’s elevated curiosity in connecting even the final island all year long, the full expenditure of the state finances elevated from 90 million in 2019 to 154 this yr.

Mr. Stylianides additionally introduced that he’s involved with the ferry corporations as a way to prolong the particular reductions and presents. As he said, “a parallel negotiation is underway with the Ministry of Finance as a way to harmonize the VAT imposed on Non-public Use automobiles and machines, primarily based on the European Directive 2022/542”. He even referred to the latest letter he addressed to the Competitors Fee, with which he requested nearer cooperation and the investigation of a selected grievance for potential unlawful habits (concerted practices, and many others.).

He added: “On the similar time in my capability as a former Commissioner of the European Union I struck at DG Competitors and I confess to you that there are disappointing indications that both I or the Minister of Finance will have the ability to transfer ahead.”

Stylianides’ place

The Minister of Transport and Insular Coverage described as decisive the contribution of the Value Observatory, which is rigorously deliberate and within the coming days might be totally operational and public. He even filed within the Minutes a latest Report, within the type of a Weekly Press Launch, during which the common weekly fare costs and their most costs on indicative connections are recorded, for the interval from 06.03.2024 to 06.09.2024.

Mr. Stylianides said that the businesses have an obligation to tell the Ministry, inside 3 days, of any worth adjustment and of the appliance of the utmost costs to the barren strains. As a part of the management of their obligation from 01/06/24 to 19/07/24, 1,456 checks had been carried out and 21 circumstances of irregularity had been confirmed.

The Minister famous, nonetheless, that when it comes to aggressive circumstances, the Greek market doesn’t but belong to the mature markets. As he identified, “it has been noticed for a few years that international corporations don’t take part in all tenders. This occurs due to small margins for revenue, but in addition due to the particularity and necessities of the Greek seas”.

And he concluded: “We should function throughout the framework of European directives and European laws. I belong to a era that lived by means of what the Soviet mannequin and present socialism means. There’s a chance that if we go to such a logic and have a ceiling for the whole lot, we’ll find yourself controlling the gross revenue however not having merchandise. And I, because the Minister of Transport and Island Coverage, by no means wish to see islands not having connectivity neither with mainland Greece nor with the opposite islands.”

SOURCE: ot.gr