Greek Coffee Union: Three requests to Minister Hatzidakis

The members of the board of directors of the Hellenic Coffee Union had a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, specifically Minister Kostis Hatzidakis and Deputy Ministers Haris Theoharis and Thanos Petralias.

The meeting of the two sides took place in the office of Mr. Hatzidakis and came to disrupt the already good climate that has existed throughout the years in the relations of the Hellenic Coffee Union with the representatives of the State. The issue of abolishing the Excise Tax on coffee dominated the discussion .

Greeks are coffee enthusiasts – 8 out of 10 drink coffee every day

In addition, the members of the Hellenic Coffee Union counter-suggested to Mr. Hatzidakis, that since the abolition of the VAT is not possible, a part of the revenues collected by the state from this tax, amounting to 140 million euros per year, could alternatively be channeled to special controls that can be carried out at the points of entry of smuggled coffee into Greece.

Next, the issue of utility loans for the provision of coffee-making equipment to catering establishments was discussed. The Hellenic Coffee Association, as the institutional representative of the sector, seeks the further modernization of the legislation on the specific issue in order to simplify the applied procedures and remove bureaucratic constraints.

A request to the Ministry, which was also made to the competent Minister, is the amendment of the wording of the law regarding the exemption from customs clearance for unroasted raw coffee weighing up to two kilograms, which is sent to traders and processors in Greece for sampling purposes. The relevant provision provides for the possibility of importing roasted coffee weighing up to three kilograms for personal use, so as to avoid being burdened by the significant cost of customs clearance procedures.