ALITHIA: “Tax hike storm”. The opposition daily commented yesterday that the government was trying disingenuously to put its hand deeper into peoples’ pockets by imposing new taxes. The government said it was not imposing taxes but it was introducing duties, a claim that was categorically rejected, Alithia said. It goes further and asks President Tassos Papadopoulos : “On May 19, the President blamed the rumours concerning imminent hikes to a foolish civil servant; what does he have to say today?”
HARAVGHI: “The Church won’t pay”. AKEL’s mouthpiece yesterday chose to focus on the fact that the Church has never paid any taxes despite its extensive business activities. The Church owes the state around £40 million, said the daily. This was confirmed by Finance Minister Makis Keravnos who on Monday briefed the House Finance Committee on the state of the economy and the state budget.
SIMERINI: “In the eurozone lobby”. The daily commented yesterday that Cyprus had made its first step to join the eurozone. Finance Minister Makis Keravnos told deputies that within the month he would be briefing the cabinet on the readiness of the island to join ERM-2. Keravnos presented the 2005 state budget and outlined the government’s goals and priorities regarding the convergence programme, which was designed to bring Cyprus on track for entry into the eurozone.
MACHI: “Old Nicosia turned into a brothel”. Under that banner headline – the second in as many months – the newspaper reported that the old town resembled an eastern country, with filth, garbage derelict buildings combining to create a reality that had nothing to do with a European city. Residents blamed the authorities for not doing anything while the area was turned into a ghetto of Arabs, Asians and Pontians. At the same time prostitution has developed considerably and residents fear for their lives, the daily said.
POLITIS: “The second solution of the status quo”. President Tassos Papadopoulos replied from Finland to all those wondering what he wanted in relation to the Cyprus problem. Speaking at a think tank in Helsinki, Papadopoulos said he preferred today’s status quo from a solution that did not include the things he thought were necessary. Papadopoulos also met his Finnish counterpart who appeared disappointed by the result of the referendum but did not seem to fully understand Nicosia’s positions on the Cyprus problem.
PHILELEFTHEROS: “The known ones are absent”. Reporting on the findings of the investigation into the stock market fiasco, the daily said that people and companies, who the paper claims made millions from the CSE, had not been included in the report. The daily lists but does not name the people and companies and also details the manner in which they controlled the market for their own interest.
