00:00 When he's not in a studio recording or making music, Nikos helps out with the family business.
00:07 He's traveled all over the country selling produce at farmers markets.
00:11 And up until now, all payments were in cash.
00:15 The government wants that to change, but Nikos is worried.
00:19 If somebody wants a pair that costs around 50 cents, it puts the burden on us, the sellers,
00:27 because of the high transaction fees imposed by the banks.
00:30 We need to pressure the government to help us find a solution, because it will certainly be a problem.
00:36 From April 1st, Greece's finance ministry will start imposing fines on businesses
00:43 that do not use a point of sale transaction, or POS system, as it's more commonly known.
00:49 It means all the remaining sectors of the economy that were previously exempt,
00:54 such as taxis, kiosks and outdoor farmers markets, will now have to accept cashless payments.
01:00 Many already do, but for those who don't, the switch could be challenging.
01:05 The main complaint I hear about it is not about the system itself,
01:10 but about internet connections in taxis and at outdoor markets.
01:15 That's our main issue, as well as training people to use it.
01:19 Most people in outdoor markets are older and not very familiar with cashless payments.
01:24 Outdoor markets like these indeed draw an older crowd,
01:29 more familiar in paying with cash rather than cards.
01:33 That's why it seems more challenging to switch.
01:37 But what's even more challenging is the government who's trying to track these cash transactions
01:43 and make sure they're taxed.
01:46 We've been extending this deadline for many years.
01:49 People don't take us seriously when we said we were going to do this.
01:54 Now we are ready, and we will start imposing the fines for those who don't have this system in place.
02:01 We have no more time to waste. We are losing money.
02:05 What is the point of not tackling tax evasion?
02:08 Tax evasion costs the Greek government over 3 billion euros a year.
02:13 A significant amount for a country still recovering from a decade-long financial crisis.
02:19 But people like Nikos say these measures could actually be counterproductive for the economy.
02:25 They say that if the banks and the government do not do more to regulate commission fees,
02:30 going cashless could mean going out of business.
02:34 Evangelos Tsipsas for CGTN, Athens.
02:38 Evangelos Tsipsas for CGTN, Athens.
02:41 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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