Greek Gov't to Submit Austerity Bill

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greece's government is to submit its latest austerity measures bill to Parliament within the day, with lawmakers to vote on the package of tax hikes and reforms Sunday night.

The move comes ahead of a meeting next week of eurozone finance ministers who will discuss Greece's progress in reforms required under its third bailout.

The new bill to be submitted Wednesday is expected to include across-the-board tax hikes, including raising the rate of consumer tax by one percentage point to 24 percent and increasing taxes on fuel, coffee, alcohol, tobacco and hotel stays.

However, the government said it wouldn't include a contingency plan that would automatically trigger extra budget savings if Greece misses certain targets. The government said that would be submitted as an amendment later "for technical processing reasons."

(KA)