December 5, 2009
As the scale of the Greek national debt becomes apparent, the need for money has fuelled an intense debate over Greek property taxes and the battle lines between Church and State have been drawn. The Church is the largest property owner in Greece and the government believes that it has enjoyed tax-exemption for long enough and that it should pay its dues. The Orthodox hierarchy, of course, have dug their feet in the sand and stated that they are simply going to refuse to pay the one off windfall tax.
