Greek Tax! - MERGED 4 THREADS

[yeloya]

[QUOTE=goboatingnow;1854660]by the way, I have friends in greece , I dont think there will be any issue with ATMs.

As of this morning the the banks are closed, ATM's are set to pay max 60 euros /day, if at all in operation..

Cheers

Yeloya

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by yeloya

As of this morning the the banks are closed, ATM's are set to pay max 60 euros /day, if at all in operation..

Cheers

Yeloya

It has been announced that banks are closed until the 7th of July.
The 60€ daily ATM limit is just for locals.
Foreigners with a foreign credit card are restricted only by the usual ATM limit their own bank has imposed on them.

SWL

[hoppy]

SWL that makes sense as it brings money into the country. Although I guess we could be caught in queues of Greeks doing their daily €60 withdrawals

When I read that over €30 billion has been moved out of the country in recent months or so, it makes me wonder why capital controls were not implemented to stop the big money outflows earlier



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[FilBrown]

The banking restrictions only apply to Greek nationals holding Greek bank accounts in Greece.
As a tourist/visitor there is no restriction on what money you can withdraw. It may be more difficult to find an ATM or use a credit/debit card in some locations but that's probably down to cafe owner just wanting to deal in cash.

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[Seaworthy Lass]

Some feedback from the front line:

Despite struggling on and off for the last six months, I had no problems withdrawing my usual limit from a Greek ATM today (foreign credit cards are not currently affected). No queues either, but this is just one ATM on one island on one day.

No sign of groceries being replenished with foreign goods though. Items I had bought from one of the local groceries five days ago had not been restocked when I checked today.

Taking each day as it unfolds. Friends are continually asking us about our plans - as always, these are written in sand at low tide.

SWL

[hoppy]

I must admit I didn't understand the whole supermarket queues business. Why are they affected already?

I'll be back tonight so I guess tomorrow I'll see the supermarket situation for myself


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[andrejv]

Today I withdrew 150 euros from ATM in Ay. Stefanos on Corfu island. No ques, no problems. I'm curently in Gouvia marina, and both Atms are working.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I must admit I didn't understand the whole supermarket queues business. Why are they affected already?

I'll be back tonight so I guess tomorrow I'll see the supermarket situation for myself

Following the announcement of the referendum, over a 30% increase in sales of longer life grocery items has been reported. Certainly not a stampede, but I think the concern is that in the short term imported goods in particular may be hard to buy.
The grocery stores here are pretty quiet, but it seems some goods are not being replaced as they run out.

SWL

[K_V_B]

One of the problems Greece has is that with the Euro importing stuff became cheaper than growing locally. Greece imports tomatoes from the Netherlands... Maybe if they get back to the Drahme they'll start growing things themselves again. Will be better for the economy. Local tomatoes taste better too :-)

[NornaBiron]

Went ashore this morning in Elounda, Crete. Withdrew up to my daily limit on two UK bank cards with no difficulty, no queues at the ATMs. Shops full of local produce and imported goods, no panic buying evident. The only thing noticeably lacking is foreign tourists, a consequence of all the bad press I fear. The visitors that are around are having a great time enjoying Greek hospitality, sun, sea and stunning views.

[hoppy]

Anyone here in Greece been thinking about their Grexit strategy if the vote goes NO?

Tsipras says regardless of the vote outcome that the banks will reopen Tuesday and a deal will be negotiated with the creditors. I think comments like this just prove that he's a naive idiot. I think he thinks that Germany, ECB etc will not let Greece leave the Euro, but I suspect that they are prepared to except the Grexit and the stockmarkets have been hedging their bets on it happening, so it will not affect the rest of Europe as much as Tsipras thinks it will.

Right now I'm in Corfu with my mast laying on the dock. I'm waiting on a new Harken roller unit to arrive from Athens. I've heard that harken in Athens closed their doors a few days ago and are not responding to mails. Supposedly my roller was available in Athens and may or may not be with the transport company. Stores here have had problems this week with the transport companies just not doing the delivery runs they normally do. It makes me wonder how much worse it will get if there is a No and the grexit occurs.

If there is a no, the banks won't open as promised, or at least they won't stay open long because of the run on them that will occur. There will be financial chaos whist the transition to the new dracma happens which will happen over a few months at least and once it's in and they print money, inflation will go through the roof probably.

How will it affect cruisers?

If there is civil unrest, I would not expect it to get to the islands. Strikes may impact us if we or guests need to fly in or out. Euro, pounds, dollars and more will probably be gratefully accepted.
The media will probably run scare stories, so there will be less dirt dweller tourists. Getting supplies will be problematic with less imported stuff being imported and possibly the prices of what is available will be a moving target, but at least in small stores a good $£€ price would be available.

I would guess that marinas will still quote rates in euros, so the price won't change and the same will probably be true for marina services.

I suspect that the biggest problem cruisers will have will be sourcing parts and general chandlery from Greek suppliers. While buying elsewhere and using couriers can solve the problem, sometimes you can't do that because of exclusive supply agreements.

Whilst I'm not planning to do my own Grexit, I am starting to think that I will leave open the possibility of wintering in Turkey instead.


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[hoppy]

Monty Python - Greece v Germany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=213&v=ur5fGSBsfq8

[Seaworthy Lass]

Hi Hoppy
I am sorry to hear your Harken roller may be stuck in the system somewhere. Hope it turns up quickly.

Regardless of the vote, if banks reopen as promised on Tuesday they will have to continue with the capital controls. Even with a 'yes' vote, funding to banks is unlikely to be boosted until a new deal is struck and that could take weeks or longer (Tsipras has said that if there is a 'yes' vote, he doesn't wish to implement whatever will be dictated in order for further funding to be released, so a new government will have to be overseeing this).

Transport strikes or simply lack of services (or the risk of these) will dramatically affect tourism. A ferry strike scheduled last Tuesday was thankfully cancelled. Ferry and airport strikes have been common here in the past and absolutely incapacitate the islands, sometimes for weeks. The only personal impact we have had so far is that a Melbourne guest planning to join us on the 30th June for a week, cancelled. With work commitments back home, travel delays could not be afforded.

If Greece exits the EU, once things settle and couriers run normally, the problem with ordering chandlery supplies from the UK etc is that they will be subject to customs. It is not just the cost, but the delays (it can take weeks here currently to get non EU items processed) and then there is the hassle of trying to find where the item actually is. We depend on UK deliveries during winter for all sorts of boat related and personal purchases that are difficult to source here.

In the meantime, I have seen little sign of problems here. Tourism may be down, but tavernas as still doing a brisk trade. There have been no shortages (although this past week some items have not been replaced in groceries when sold, this usually typically only occurs in winter). Cash has been easier to withdraw from ATMs since the banks closed than it has for the last six months, and I have not see anyone queuing. The locals are as warm as ever and putting on a "she'll be right" act of bravado for the tourists (unlike winter when I am more like a guest than tourist and they will chat openly about their concerns). The sun is shining, the waters are pristine and there are still plenty of anchors to photograph underwater .

We are not stressing, just alert and prepared.

SWL

[hoppy]

I was ready to just say that if the Harken is not here Monday to just put the mast back on and sail for a bit and put it on if it shows up within a week or cancel, but I was checking my mast and noticed they had not replaced the spreader end caps. The rigger forgot to order them They are in stock in Athens supposedly

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

If Greece exits the EU, once things settle and couriers run normally, the problem with ordering chandlery supplies from the UK etc is that they will be subject to customs. It is not just the cost, but the delays (it can take weeks here currently to get non EU items processed) and then there is the hassle of trying to find where the item actually is. We depend on UK deliveries during winter for all sorts of boat related and personal purchases that are difficult to source here.

I don't think there will ever be an issue with Greece leaving the EU. If they did it would be because Tsipras cosied up to Putin which would also mean leaving Nato. That would be excellent conditions for a coup-de-etat and civil war.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

We are not stressing, just alert and prepared.

That is the way to do it for now.