塞浦路斯存款徵稅政策引各界不滿

上週末，塞浦路斯政府與歐元集團達成總額爲100億歐元的救助協議。協議規定，塞浦路斯銀行要向儲戶一次性徵稅，10萬歐元以上存款的稅率爲9.9%，10萬歐元以下存款的稅率爲6.75%。此政策可爲塞浦路斯籌得58億歐元的資金，減少其獲得外部援助資金的數量。這一議案公佈後引來各界不滿，塞浦路斯民衆紛紛涌向銀行提款，但銀行款項已被凍結，要等到議會最終表決結束後才能解凍。歐元區各國財長也表示，希望塞浦路斯政府能夠對十萬歐元以下儲戶採取保護政策。這一協議同時也招來該國存款和投資大戶——俄羅斯方面的不滿，俄羅斯總統普京稱此項徵稅議案“不公平、不專業、而且危險”。

自歐洲金融危機爆發以來，歐盟各國一直對十萬歐元以下存款採取保護政策。觀察人士認爲，塞浦路斯此舉違背了這一保護政策，同時擔心這一做法會危及歐元區其他國家儲戶的信心。塞浦路斯議會原定當地時間17日就存款徵稅議案進行表決，但因各方意見不統一已將表決時間推後到當地時間19日晚6點。有報道稱，提請表決的議案或將十萬歐元以下儲戶的稅率降低到3%，而十萬歐元以上的稅率提至12.5%。

Finance ministers from the eurozone have asked Cyprus to reduce the burden on small investors from a proposed levy on savings, linked to a bailout.

Plans for a one-off tax of 6.75% on savings up to 100,000 euros ($130,000) have outraged Cypriots.

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Banks in Cyprus are to remain closed until Thursday, as efforts to revise an international bailout package continue.

A parliamentary vote on the package has been repeatedly postponed, but is now expected on Tuesday.

The 10bn-euro bailout agreed with the EU and IMF demands that all bank customers pay a one-off levy.

The government's efforts to shift more of the burden onto wealthier depositors enraged Russians, who form the bulk of overseas investors and have deposits worth billions of dollars in Cypriot banks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the proposed levy "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous", and Moscow has expressed frustration Russia was not included in European decision-making on Cyprus.

Under the currently agreed terms of the levy, depositors with less than 100,000 euros in Cyprus accounts would pay a one-off tax of 6.75%, while those with sums over that threshold would pay 9.9%.

But the move has outraged Cypriots and sparked heavy cash withdrawals from banks.

Since the start of the financial crisis there has been a guarantee that deposits under 100,000 euros in banks in the EU would be protected.

Many observers believe the Cypriot levy breaks the spirit of that agreement, and there is concern that it could also damage the confidence of depositors in other eurozone countries, reports the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels.

Eurozone finance ministers - the Eurogroup - discussed the situation in a conference call on Monday evening.

Following the talks, its president Jeroen Dijsselbloem issued a statement saying the group "continues to be of the view that small depositors should be treated differently from large depositors and reaffirms the importance of fully guaranteeing deposits below 100,000 euros".

He said Cyprus would "introduce more progressivity in the one-off levy" - in other words, shift the burden away from small savers towards bigger depositors - provided that the same amount of funds, 5.8bn euros, was raised.

Mr Dijsselbloem urged "a swift decision by the Cypriot authorities and parliament to rapidly implement the agreed measures".

President Anastasiades has been holding talks with ministers and MPs at the parliament building in Nicosia, where hundreds of people noisily protested on Monday.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Nicosia says there are suggestions Mr Anastasiades may want to lower the former rate to 3%, while raising the levy on the larger depositors to 12.5%.

The debate and vote in Cyprus' parliament is now scheduled for 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday. It was to have been held on Sunday.