Greece’s Ministry of Finance is in yet another battle with the country’s taxi union, as the government aims to rein in the sector’s notoriously bad behavior, which ranges from tax evasion to the poor condition of cars.
The ‘stickiest’ of issues, however, has been the blatant refusal of taxi drivers to accept credit cards in lieu of cash payments, and to issue receipts.
The Greek government is determined, however, to combat the perceived tax evasion of taxi drivers and the generally poor perception of Greece’s taxis by both citizens and tourists alike.
In this regard, the Greek government has already passed a law requiring all taxis to accept payments by credit card and to install POS systems to make it possible. And now, the government wants to make sure passengers are aware of their rights.
‘Sticker Shock’
The latest battle with the Panhellenic Federation of Taxi Drivers is over the new requirement that taxis affix a rather large sticker to the window of the rear right door, which will inform passengers that they can pay by credit card and that they are not required to pay before being issued a receipt by the driver.
The sticker will display the information in both English and Greek, according to an article at To Vima.
To be fair, the taxi union has said it does not opposed the measure. However, what it does opposed is the large size of the sticker- 25 by 12 centimeters to be precise.
The union claims that the size and location of the sticker present a safety risk as it will reduce drivers’ visibility. As a result, they are counter-proposing a sticker no larger than a credit card- 5 by 10 centimers.
Reports in To Vima state that the Greek government is standing its ground on the size of the sticker and will fine drivers 1,000 euros if they do not comply.
Another Impasse with the Taxi Union
The union has told its drivers not to obtain the stickers, “as they have no legal validity.”
As a result, Greece’s tax authorities have temporarily ‘frozen’ their inspections of vehicles as a result of the impasse and are preparing a new deadline for affixing the stickers.
Moreover, the Greek government is coming up with a new way to ensure that the stickers get to drivers, who are currently refusing to obtain them through previously announced means.
