# property tax



## jed1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Hello there
Apparently there are exceptions to the new property tax which is to appear on our electricity bills. One being that if you have been unemployed for more than 12 months and not receiving unemplyment benefit from any fund, with a declared income of less than 8000 euros on the2010 tax filing. does this apply to british expats and is there any procedures to follow.
Any info would be appreciated


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

jed, hopefully someone else will know for sure, my info comes from a google search that I just did for you. The articles I found were dated around Sept 16, so you may want to look for more recent articles to make sure that things haven't changed. 

Anyway, I found the following quote from a Sept 16 news article:

"για ένα ακίνητο που ιδιοκατοικείται και ανήκει κατά κυριότητα ή επικαρπία σε πολύτεκνο ή μακροχρόνια άνεργο εγγεγραμμένο στον ΟΑΕΔ και μη επιδοτούμενο από αυτόν, με οικογενειακό εισόδημα κατά το προηγούμενο του έτους επιβολής του τέλους, μέχρι 8.000 ευρώ ή είναι ο ίδιος ή πρόσωπο που τον βαρύνει φορολογικά, ανάπηρος, το ειδικό τέλος ισούται με 0,5 ευρώ το τμ ανεξάρτητα από την τιμή ζώνης και την παλαιότητα του ακινήτου. Το μειωμένο αυτό τέλος δεν ισχύει για ακίνητο που βρίσκεται σε ζώνη με τιμή άνω των 3.000 ευρώ και για το πλέον των 200 τμ εμβαδόν του ιδιοκατοικούμενου ακινήτου."

I don't know if you're a Greek speaker. If not, my (quick and unofficial!!) translation:

"For a property at which the owner resides, and which in the main belongs to a person with 4+ children or to a person who is long-term unemployed, registered at OAED and *not* receiving OAED benefits, with a total family income during 2010 of up to 8000 euros, or if he or one of his legal dependents is disabled, THEN the special tax is assessed at 0.50 euro per square meter, regardless of the zone and the age of the building. This reduced tax rate does NOT apply to properties located in zones with a price of higher than 3000 euros/sq. meter, and, in the case of a property which exceeds 200 sq. meters in area, the area which exceeds 200 sq m."

So this suggests to me that you would still need to pay, just at the reduced (50 cents/meter) rate, as long as you meet the other requirements in the quote above. It shouldn't matter that you're British at all.

PLEASE bear in mind that I pulled this off a Sept 16 article and I DON'T KNOW if there are newer more up-to-date changes to this!!

I also don't know if there is a procedure for registering this (through your DOY, most likely, if there is one) in advance. I will try a few more searches and see if anything else turns up.


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Okay, it's me again. I think I found the answer to your question in a newspaper article from Sept 16 in Ta Nea.

"Ειδικότερα για τους ανέργους μη επιδοτούμενους από τον ΟΑΕΔ και με οικογενειακό εισόδημα κάτω από 8.000 ευρώ προβλέπεται ότι για να είναι δικαιούχοι του μειωμένου ειδικού συντελεστή (0,5 ευρώ ανά τετραγωνικό μέτρο), θα υποβάλουν αίτηση ηλεκτρονικά στη ΓΓΠΣ προκειμένου να γίνει διασταύρωση με τα αρχεία της εφορίας ή άλλων δημοσίων υπηρεσιών.

Στη συνέχεια θα ενημερώνεται η ΔΕΗ και οι εναλλακτικοί προμηθευτές προκειμένου να υπολογιστεί ο μειωμένος συντελεστής και να ενεργοποιηθεί η διαδικασία επιστροφής τυχόν καταβληθέντος μεγαλύτερου τέλους. "

In English, again just my quick translation, please don't sue me ... 

"More specifically, for those unemployed who are not receiving OAED benefits, with a family income below 8000 euros, in order to qualify for the reduced special rate (0.50 euros per square meter), they must submit an electronic application to GGPS so that the various public services involved can combine their information on the person in question.

Next, DEH and the other electric companies will be informed so that the reduced rate can be computed and applied, and to start the procedure for the return of any overage amount which may have been paid."

So you need to fill out and submit an online application. It's probably someplace in this website: >> ?.?.?.?. - ????????? ???? ??????? <<  I hope that helped somewhat.


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Me yet again.

So it appears that a more up-to-date explanation of how you do this is:

# 2.Πώς μπορώ να εξαιρεθώ από το ειδικό τέλος;

# Οι δικαιούχοι ιδιοκτήτες μπορούν να υποβάλουν αίτηση στην υπηρεσία για το Οικονομικό Έτος 2011 με την αποστολή ενός σύντομου μηνύματος (SMS). Το μήνυμα πρέπει να αναγράφει τα γράμματα ETA, κενό, τον ΑΦΜ (Αριθμό Φορολογικού Μητρώου) αυτού που δικαιούται την απαλλαγή, κενό και τον αριθμό παροχής της ΔΕΗ (βλέπε Εικόνα 1). Το μήνυμα πρέπει να αποσταλεί στον αριθμό 54160. Το κόστος του μηνύματος είναι 0,1107€ συμπεριλαμβανομένου του ΦΠΑ 23%. Επισημαίνεται ότι το κόστος του μηνύματος αίτησης καλύπτει πλήρως το κόστος της αποστολής όλων των απαντητικών μηνυμάτων και ότι ο φορολογούμενος δεν έχει καμία επιπλέον επιβάρυνση για τη χρήση της υπηρεσίας. Η υπηρεσία χρησιμοποιείται αντίστοιχα και για τους άλλους παρόχους ηλεκτρικού ρεύματος. 

"2. How can I be excluded from the special tax? 

Those property owners who qualify can send an application to the Service for the Fiscal Year 2011 by sending an SMS text message. The message must write the letters ETA, space, the AFM (Tax Number) of the person who qualifies, space, and the DEH customer number (?????? ????????? - ?????????? ??? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????? ?????? (sms) - look under #2 for the photo showing what this is - it's impossible to figure out otherwise). The message must be sent to the number 54160. The cost of the message is €0.1107 including 23% VAT. It should be noted that the cost of this message also covers any messages sent in reply and the taxpayer doesn't have any other charge for the use of this service. The service works the same way for those who have other electricity providers."

Now that I read this, I remember hearing about this a fair amount on the news - and there was a deadline for sending these messages, and that deadline passed, I remember them making a lot of noise about it.

Ah, yes... we come to #3:

3.Πότε πρέπει να υποβάλω την αίτηση;

Με την υποβολή έγκυρης αίτησης στην υπηρεσία μέχρι τις 2 Οκτωβρίου 2011, ο δικαιούχος ιδιοκτήτης, του οποίου η αίτηση θα γίνει δεκτή, εξασφαλίζει την ενσωμάτωση της απαλλαγής ή της έκπτωσης στον αμέσως επόμενο λογαριασμό ηλεκτρισμού. Για όσους υποβάλλουν εκπρόθεσμα την αίτησή τους μέχρι την 30η Νοεμβρίου 2011 (λήξη της υπηρεσίας), και εφόσον αυτή γίνει δεκτή, η απαλλαγή ή η έκπτωση θα συμψηφιστεί στον πρώτο λογαριασμό που θα εκδοθεί από τη ΔΕΗ μετά την έγκριση της αίτησης. 

3. When should I apply?

By making a valid application to the Service by 2 October 2011, the entitled property owner, whose application is accepted, is included in the exclusion or reduction in the immediately following electric bill. *********For those who MISS THE DEADLINE and apply BY 30 NOVEMBER 2011 (the end of the service), and assuming it is accepted, their exclusion or reduction will be credited to the first DEH electric bill after the application has been accepted.******* 

So it's not too late for you Jed!!! 

More info here: ?????? ????????? - ?????????? ??? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????? ?????? (sms)
and
http://www.minfin.gr/content-api/f/...7661b655/application/pdf/2011-09-29.+sms2.pdf

According to the last link, which is also the most official, it says that if you are unemployed long-term blah blah blah as above, you ARE EXCLUDED, and that those with 4+ children and the disabled get the 0.50euro/sq. meter rate.

Sorry to go back and forth so many times on this. I think the final conclusion here for YOUR case is:

- you don't have to pay anything
- but you need to send a text message to them by 30 November in order get your exclusion.

I wouldn't have been so back-and-forth if the darn Greek government weren't so confusing. Sorry... I hope I was of some help, anyway.


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## jed1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Thank WKA for all the time you spent not only in translating the information but all the time you spent in research on the net.
I have one more query though. I descided to live in Greece with no intentions of working or claiming any benefits, does this count has being unemployed. 
I do pay all my tax dues that are required of me.
Yours
JED1


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

Jed, I don't know. You need to be registered as legally unemployed at OAED (the unemployment office). I've never done that so I don't know much about it. I think if you don't intend to work, you are legally considered to be "employed" so to speak with "οικιακά" (i.e., a homemaker), which doesn't entitle you to unemployment benefits of course. Unemployment benefits are just for 12 months and only for people who have paid into the system while they were employed - but what I DON'T know is it they let you register at OAED as "unemployed" if you haven't first been employed, paid into OAED, lost your job, registered at OAED, received unemployment benefits for 12 months, and THEN for ANOTHER 12 months, didn't receive benefits and didn't find employment, THEN you qualify for this particular situation.

I think you'd have to ask at OAED. There's an office in every city, usually. They have a website also: ?.?.?.?. but I think it's relatively useless.

Hopefully someone else will know more details about who can "register as unemployed".


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