In efforts to sooth anger over the uproar created by mistakes of the new single property ownership tax (ENFIA), the Finance Ministry has asked the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) whether it can stretch the collection of the property tax beyond December, possibly through to February.

A high-level source from the Finance Ministry said that the government is considering allowing taxpayers to pay the tax in several installments while also planning to extend the first payment from August to September. Of course, the troika needs to agree for this to happen.

Public outcry followed the handling of the tax with erroneous data used to calculate disproportionately large tax amounts for thousands of home owners.

Along with other Greeks, local children’s charity the Child’s Smile has been invited to pay ENFIA tax worth 94,996.52 euros. Child’s Smile President Kostas Giannopoulos told ANT1 TV that he simply doesn’t have the money to pay. It should be noted that the organization has stood beside 57,000 children in need and fulfils a great social need as far as helping families and children in crisis. It manages to survive mainly from donations.