Actions on Lesvos for refugees and VAT

athens - Out of dissatisfaction with the crowded refugee camps and the planned increase in VAT, most cafes and restaurants on the Greek tourist island of Lesbos remain closed on Thursday. There are also demonstrations scheduled for Thursday evening. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will then visit Lesvos.

A board member of the Chamber of Commerce on Lesbos said that the situation in the crowded refugee camps has become unsustainable. Currently there are more than 8800 refugees on the tourist island. At least one in ten islanders is refugee.

The entrepreneurs are also concerned about the planned increase in VAT. In order to stimulate tourism, a VAT of 19% applies to a number of holiday islands. The government wants to raise it to 24 percent in June.