The crucifixion takes place on Monday

Government officials are expecting to see the “smoke” rising today at the Finance ministry concerning the new tax collecting measures, which will increase tax revenue by at least 3,5 billion euros (up to 10 billion by 2015 against the target of 9 billion in the memorandum).

The “marathon” of meetings, which began on Easter Monday, will culminate today with meetings for the finalization of the tax measures that will be included in the mid-term program and that of privatizations of 50 billion for the next four years.

Final announcements will be made on Monday morning and will have a “celebratory”  nature. A  veil of secrecy surrounds the processes and great emphasis will be placed in the battle against tax evasion by famous people with targeted cross checks of their assets, in order to satisfy the “public sentiment”.

The issues that remain unresolved include the specification of the exemptions that will be abolished, as well as the beneficiaries who will lose them, in order to cut 2 billion annually.

The government will also examine property and income criteria; not meeting these criteria will result in the loss of social benefits for thousands of beneficiaries, expertise on how to reduce the public wage bill by a further 2 billion euros, while the single payroll still remains a thorn in its side, as it has not been defined by the program so far.

The Troika, arriving in Athens in early May, expects to see the consolidation plans for the SOCs that will save 2,5 billion euros and are not excluding the possibility that the structural measures for this year will exceed 4 billion euros.

The auditors are still awaiting the closure and merger plans for organizations and public agencies to save 1,1 billion euros, the reduction in defense spending by 1,2 billion and further cuts of 1,2 billion in health spending.

In the next few days there will be more meetings about privatizations in order to recover 15-17 billion by the end of 2013.

There has already been initial exploratory contact by the French PMU for the Hippodrome, and according to officials of the Ministry of Finance, there is interest in OTE on the part of DEUTSCHE TELEKOM.

For DEPA the call will be made in 2011 based on a study on the feasibility of separatiing DESFA and taking into account the trade relations with the PPC.