April 1: New Tolls, Fines, Minimum Wage, Quiet Hours in Greece

Today, April 1, marks a day of changes in Greece, including: travelers on Egnatia Motorway will pay higher tolls, businesses that still have not installed POS machines will be fined, a new higher minimum wage starts, and Greece transitions into its summer “quiet hours” schedule.

Egnatia Motorway

The main motorway that runs 670 km from Greece’s western port of Igoumenitsa to the eastern Greek-Turkish border at Kipoi will hike rates 33%, as previously agreed upon between the Greek government and the concessionaire.

Specifically, users will pay €0.04 instead of €0.03 per kilometer. The Greek government is expected to receive around €1.5 billion in revenues from the concession contract.

POS Machines and Fines

Starting from today, freelances and businesses that have not installed POS machines and connected them directly to cash registers will be subject to a hefty fine from the Greek government.

The measures were announced months ago and businesses were even given a brief extension to implement the rules, on account of delays from banks in providing the POS machines and from software support companies that needed to upgrade cash registers.

Violators will be hit with a €1,500 fine, but there are a series of exceptions that businesses may rely on to aid in reducing the fine, as outlined by the government, including providing evidence that they have applied for a POS device but are still waiting for its installation.

Minimum Wage

The Greek government announced that its fourth increase to minimum wage since 2019 will kick-in today, raising the figure 6.4% to €830 gross.

Since 2019 the government has upped minimum wage by 27%, at which point it stood at just €650.

Quiet Hours

Following the start of daylight savings in Greece yesterday, the country will move its “quiet hours” to 15:00-17:30 and 22:00-07:30, as it does each year.

The rules state that work which creates noise is forbidden, unless given permission by the police department. Loud music, shouting, disruptive parties, musical instruments, the testing of emergency systems and other similar activities are forbidden.

Source: tovima.com