Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Greek citizens travel to Macedonia, Bulgaria for gasoline, cigarettes....

Hundreds of Greeks travel daily across the border to neighboring Bulgaria and Macedonia to obtain gasoline, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and many other products at lower prices, reads Greek daily "Agelioforos".

The successive increase of excise tax and VAT in Greece has opened the price range on these products, leading consumers and professionals from many border areas (Kilkis, Serres, Drama, Evros, etc.) to focus on markets in Bulgaria and Macedonia, not only to obtain gasoline and supermarket items, and even to buy cigarettes and drinks.

The price difference of unleaded gas between Greece and Bulgaria reaches 40 cents per liter or up to 20 euros for the whole tank.

Cigarettes in Macedonia are 50% cheaper, with a box costing 16 euros compared to 38 in Greece.

Alcoholic beverages differences are smaller and do not exceed 5-6 euros per bottle, but it is enough to drive professionals on the other side of the border to buy whiskey, vodka, etc.

Losses to the Greek state are huge, as only three stations in Svilengrad, 5 km from the Greek-Bulgarian border, last weekend formed queues of cars from Greece putting 150,000 liters of unleaded gas, with losses for the Greek state funds in excess of 150,000 euros, reads the newspaper.

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