Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 99-10-23

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Saturday, October 23, 1999

'Putting their hands in our pockets'

YESTERDAY'S papers focused their attention on the House of Representative's approval of 'emergency' elements of the 2000 Budget.

Simerini

began its article saying that "the government is putting its hand further into the pocket of the Cypriot citizen to solve the public deficit problem."

The paper went on to list the import and consumer tax increases approved by the House and said that these would cause "a barrage of new expenses to the average Cypriot household."

The paper also reported that a Pakistani man had been arrested in Paphos after he was found illegally working on a building site.

Simerini

said that the that he had supposedly come to Cyprus as a student but had never once attended the Limassol college he was registered at. His employer was arrested.

Alithia

said that the decisions on the Budget proposals had come after lengthy discussions and that the decisions came late in the afternoon.

The paper also reported that Cyprus still fell short of the Maastricht treaty criteria due to its public deficit.

Alithia

said that while the treaty called for a public deficit of no more than three per cent of GDP, the figure in Cyprus for 2000 was expected to reach 6,9 per cent.

Politis

said that the government would be gaining £78 million with the new tax measures, but only be subsidising the people with a total of £15.5 million.

The paper echoed Simerini by saying, "They are putting their hand in our pockets."

Politis

also reported that the current House of Representatives building was unable to house all the committees on certain days. The paper also said that certain well-attended committees also left little space for the deputies and invited guests attending the meetings.

Phileleftheros

said that the users of unleaded petrol had been spared by the tax proposals as that variety of fuel was exempted from the 2 cents per litre rise.

The paper also reported that the death in Cyprus of a Lebanese millionaire had been of natural causes.

The initial autopsy by pathologist Eleni Antoniou had uncovered under-the- skin marks on the deceased's neck. A subsequent second opinion by current and former state coroners Sophocles Sophocleous and Marios Matsakis, however, decreed that the death had been a result of natural causes.

The paper also reported that the new GSP stadium may prove to be a parking headache. Quoting police sources, Phileleftheros said that if sport lovers did not follow police instructions before athletic events, traffic problems would cause chaos in the area.

Haravghi

condemned the new tax proposals saying that the average citizen would suffer as a result of the higher fuel prices.

The paper also reported that giant cannabis plants had been found at a horse farm in Ayia Trimithia.

Haravghi

said that the plants had reached a hight of more than three meters and that the police said that it was the first time such large plants had been found.

Machi

said that the tax increases had been accompanied by compensatory measures.

The paper said that £3 million would go to housing, £1 million to rent subsidies, £1.5 million to charities, £1 million to cultural institutions, £2 million to large families, £2 million to welfare, £1 million to the country-side, £1 million to state nursery schools and £3 million to agriculture support.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999

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