Life of a Greek soldier killed on duty is worth €13,000 minus €3,000 tax!!!

We have an expression here in Greece: “somebody squeezes fat out of a fly”.  We use this expression in order to describe someone extremely miserly and stingy. Now the Greek state, precisely the Greek Finance Ministry shows this attitude towards the family of a 19-year-old soldier who was killed during a military exercise. Calculating that the live of a soldier fallen in service costs ridiculous 13,000 euro, the state transferred to the grieving family only 10,000 from the compensation keeping whole €3,000 as tax! Furthermore, the family received a notice by the Greek Public Power Company (DEH) saying that the family cannot enjoy ‘reduced electricity prices” anymore, as the family has no more four children but three. The sister of  killed soldier Fotis Andrikopoulos sent a complain letter to local newspaper noting among others: Last October, Andrikopoulos from Patras who was doing his military service in Volos was killed together with two professional soldiers aged 33 and 34 when a mortar-tube exploded during an army firing range. soldier The news shocks especially when former Finance Minister and current Governor of Greece’s Central Bank Yiannis Stournaras stated today that the Central Bank does not have to pay any property tax (ENFIA). Of course, the state, the Church and every public institution enjoy tax exceptions at the cost of the poor and the unemployed and now even at the cost of soldiers killed on duty… PS I suppose, they charged 23% tax that is the usual tax for freelancers and services. I wonder whether  this 3,000-euro tax will add to the creation of primary surplus 2014…