ATHENS — The Greek Finance ministry on Thursday announced it was freezing until the end of the year all taxpayers’ debts worth around 1.0 billion euros which were suspended until April 30, 2021 and doubled the number of instalments in the repayment of these debts, to 48 tranches with an interest rate of 2.5 pct – from an interest-free 24 tranches – with the first installment payable on January 31, 2022, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said in an announcement.

More specifically, the Finance ministry also suspended collection of the February tranche of enterprises’ settle debt and for workers currently in suspension of their contracts.

Staikouras said the government was standing by the side of households and enterprises, planning and implementing measures destined to limit – as much as possible – the impact of this unprecedented global ordeal.

These measures are expanded and enriched with terms of social reciprocity and economic efficiency, with prudence and insight, linked with developments in the pandemic and based on efforts to achieve the fastest and strongest possible economic recovery.