Stathakis against scrapping tax breaks for islands

Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis has warned against abolishing the tax breaks offered to several Aegean islands.

Speaking to Antenna TV on Thursday, Stathakis said ?there are many reasons why the favorable status must be maintained,? although he said he was willing to consider improvements to the existing framework.

Businesses on some Greek islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini, pay as much as 30 percent less tax than the mainland.

Earlier this week, Alternate Finance Minister Nadia Valavani suggested that the government was examining the prospect of introducing a uniform value-added tax.