According to the registers of 18 professional chambers in Northern Greece, between 2011 and 2013 it has been estimated that over 50,000 businesses have shut down in Macedonia and Thrace, leaving thousands out of a job. At the same time 35,456 new businesses have been set up.
The president of the professional chamber of Thessaloniki (EETH) Michalis Zorpidis told To Vima that many of the defunct businesses were operating for 10-15 years and employed 3-4 employees, while the newer one are mostly related to the food industry (cafes, snack bars etc) and employ 1-2 people.
Mr. Zorpidis further stressed that the lower tax rates in other Balkan countries has urged many businesses to emigrate abroad, as they are unable to deal with loans and lack of available funding in Greece. This particularly true in transports, where transport companies registering their vehicles in Romania and Bulgaria.
The president of the professional chamber of Pella Iordanis Tsotsos argued that the tax rate, VAT and employer contributions must be reduced in order to become more competitive against other Balkan countries.
