Greece and its Church

There is a certain Greek tragedy feel to this story. The one group that you need most is the one you offend. If I find myself despondent and unable to repay my debts I don't go into church and start filling a bag with lampadas, crosses, altar cloths, and icons. It's a time for me to reflect on how I got there and ask the Lord for guidance and protection, not a time to try my hand at simony.

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(Hurriyet) - The Greek government’s recently announced measures to boost tax revenue in the face of a crippling debt crisis have riled the church.

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Hieronymos recently lashed out at Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, criticizing a new draft bill to be tabled in parliament next week that will impose a 20 percent tax on the Orthodox Church's real estate income, which is reportedly worth over 10 million euros ($14.8 million) a year.

The archbishop threatened to open a case against the country at the European Court of Human Rights, according to Yorgo Kırbaki, the daily Hürriyet’s reporter in Athens.

The government’s request is against the law and immoral, he said. “If necessary we will seek our rights at the Greek court as well as the European Court of Human Rights,” said Archbishop Hieronymos. “I will meet with the prime minister and tell him our patience has run out.”

The new draft law will also outlaw all business transactions of more than 1,500 euros conducted in cash, ordering instead the use of credit cards. The government will also urge consumers to collect receipts in an effort to stamp out tax evasion that costs the state an estimated 10 billion euros a year.

"The goal of our tax policy is a simple and fair system with uniform rules and without unjustified exceptions," Agence France-Presse quoted Greece’s Finance Ministry as saying in its report to parliament.

"Our immediate priority is to deal with tax evasion, which is possibly the worst form of injustice in our tax system that hampers the operation of the state," the ministry said.

The bill spells an end to special tax regimes enjoyed by several professional classes, including taxi and truck drivers, civil engineers, camping operators, doctors and athletes.

It also introduces income checks for the owners of yachts, private planes and jets, swimming pools and other luxury items.

The Socialist government is trying to plug leaks in its budget – on which it fell 30 billion euros short last year – and bring an end to decades of fiscal waste that has produced nearly 300 billion euros in state debt.