Farmer unions all from over Greece are waiting to see what tax regulations and provisions will be voted for in Parliament on Thursday, in order to begin discussions on the possibility of strike action plans.
The president of the Independent Farmer Unions of the Municipality of Serres Yannis Tourtouras announced that his union members will stage protest in the central squares of their towns and villages in response to government plans, with more unions from Serres and other areas expected to follow suit.
A farmers’ rally that is scheduled to take place on Saturday the 1st of February in Thessaloniki in response to the 25th annual farmer expo Agrotica, will indicate the intensity of strike actions to come. The farmer union leader Kostas Tsaouskas from Pella, who is aligned with new Democracy, explained that road blocks may be set up, depending on what sort of measures are voted for on Thursday.
While Tsaouskas reflects the opinions of other unions in Evros and Rodopi, some unions are more reserved and have arranged to meet with the General Secretary of Public Revenue Haris Theoharis and New Democracy MPs, in order to discuss their tax demands.
This group of farmers wants the government’s tax plans to be postponed for a year while simultaneously entering talks to discuss farmer demands. The president of the Panhellenic Farmer Coordination Body Christos Gontias explained that “in no case is the farming world asking not to be taxed. What we demand is a fair and reasonable taxation”.
