Last Friday, the new conservative government of Cyprus concluded an agreement with the Troika in order to "save" the country banks by applying a kind of extra tax to all bank accounts.
In the meanwhile, banks are closed until Thursday, waiting for the approval of the Parliament. This completely illegal tax was applied in principle to all bank accounts, at a rate of 6,75% to the deposits inferior to 100.000 Euros and of 9,9% to those over 100.000 Euros, but the protest and reaction of the society may oblige to withdraw the measure to the inferior bank accounts, and increase the tax to the superior ones. Nevertheless given the number of seats of the Conservative party in the Parliament, far from the majority, and the ongoing social protest, it is not likely that the measure will be approved.
The Party of the European Left expresses its clear refusal of such a measure that tries to save banks condemning the society. We support the Cypriot people and AKEL in their reactions against such policy. We are convinced that with the previous AKEL government and with Christofias as President such unjust policy would have never been taken.
This type of European decisions taken by the Troika under the fundamentalist neoliberal perspective of Mrs. Merkel are destroying the idea of Europe and we say clearly that another Europe is possible, the Europe of solidarity and peace.
 
PARTY OF THE EUROPEAN LEFT
19 March 2013
Brussels