New Action Plan for Combating Tax Evasion |  |
- New Action Plan for Combating Tax Evasion
- FM on Osama Bin Laden’s Death
- Anti-Smoking Award for Papandreou
- Book Reading: Going Up
- Storytelling & Sustainable Development
| New Action Plan for Combating Tax Evasion Posted: 03 May 2011 02:45 AM PDT  The Finance Ministry announced yesterday a three year National Action Plan for Combating Tax Evasion. The Action Plan, which sets very specific implementation targets, was agreed by an Inter-Ministerial Committee, which included Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou, Regional Development and Competitiveness Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis, Citizen Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis as well as Justice, Transparency and Human Rights Minister Haris Kastanidis.  Aiming at modernizing the operations of the tax collection mechanism and enhancing the efficiency of revenue collection, the Action Plan includes specific measures that would enable the identification and punishment of large-scale tax evasion, as well as a number of actions that would make tax administration much more user-friendly so as to increase voluntary compliance and citizen participation. The Finance Ministry also announced the appointment of Ioannis Diotis as the new head of the Economic and Financial Crime Unit. Diotis is a distinguished former public prosecutor responsible for bringing the "17th November" terrorist group to justice.    |
| Posted: 03 May 2011 02:45 AM PDT  Commenting on the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death, Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas said that "international terrorism is an abhorrent phenomenon, a constant threat to international peace and security that undermines the prospects of societies throughout the world for prosperity and development." He also stressed that "Osama Bin Laden's death dealt a strong blow to terrorism. But the fight does not end here. The international community – irrespective of religious beliefs and political considerations – needs to remain united in the international effort to end this scourge."   |
| Anti-Smoking Award for Papandreou Posted: 03 May 2011 02:45 AM PDT  The decision was announced in Moscow during the first global Health Ministers' conference on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), for which tobacco use is a major risk factor.  Every year, through the award, WHO distinguishes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. The award will most likely be presented to the premier on June 3, when WHO officially inaugurates its first special bureau for Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) for southeastern Europe in Athens.   |
| Posted: 03 May 2011 02:45 AM PDT  An improving attitude towards book reading was depicted in the 3rd National Survey on Reading Habits and Cultural Practices conducted by the National Book Centre of Greece (EKEBI). The survey showed that the number of steady readers (people that read more than 10 books a year) remains stable, representing 8.1% of the population, while the number of casual readers (1-9 books a year) has risen significantly to 34.2% of the population, compared to 25,4% in 2004.  On the other hand, the number of non readers has decreased to 16.4% of the population, compared to 22.2% in 2004. Greek and foreign fiction books remain the most popular book category, with history, psychology, and religion following. Women aged 35-54 are once again book reading champions. According to EKEBI, the good news is that, despite the financial crisis and the consequent cuts in expenditure, book reading remains a steady value for the Greek public that turns to library or private borrowing rather than less reading.  The bad news is that the steady readers' age average moves towards the 35-54 age box (compared to the 25-44 bracket a decade ago). This development is attributed to an increase in the average working hours of the most active groups of the population. National Book Centre: National Survey on Reading Habits and Cultural Practices (in Greek)   |
| Storytelling & Sustainable Development Posted: 03 May 2011 02:46 AM PDT  A group of Greek, English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, French and Americans have set up a storytelling association in a rural Cretan location. The Friends of Amari is an international association contributing to the revitalization of the village and valley of Amari in Crete through the art of storytelling and by supporting local cultural initiatives, including recycling, collecting local stories, preserving local heritage and establishing a school of storytelling.  At the base of Crete's highest mountain, Psiloritis (Mt Ida), the Amari valley is the land Zeus roamed as a boy. Shrines to Hermes, Pan and many other Gods and Goddesses dot the landscape, each still telling stories that have fashioned civilization for 6,000 years.Kathimerini: Once upon a time in a Cretan village   |
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