Islandwide taxi strike planned for Tuesday

[Paphos Life]

An islandwide strike and protest by taxi drivers is planned for Tuesday, the Association of Taxi Owners and Drivers announced on Sunday.The strike will begin at 6.45am. The taxi drivers are demanding measures from the state to help the industry, which has been badly hit by the pandemic....

Read the article and chat about it below...

[WHL]

Given that restaurants and hotels are not being compensated for loss of earnings brought about by Covid, I fail to see why taxi drivers should; even though it is evident they regard themselves as an elite profession which should not be subject to the same pressures as any other business.

I dont know about restaurant's, but a friend of ours has a car rental company, and they were compensated during the lockdown.

[DocDoc]

Most folk would think they ought to have plenty in the bank from all the gross overcharging!

[Paul]

Taxi Strike, that should make the roads a bit safer then!
Ho good we are going shopping on Tuesday.

[trevnhil]

I do wonder if the taxi strike means that they will just not be available for hire.
I seem to remember in the past that they have caused disruption by in effect blockading various road junctions

[Kili01]

They can be a nuisance, though why they always want to get preferential treatment May be considered to be unreasonable. Many self emplyed people who own small businesses were not given any monetary help in the first lockdown. Another lockdown now could finish them if they are forced to close.

Dee

[trevnhil]

What Tanny says is very true.. There are indeed some very good Taxi companies and drivers in the Paphos region..

[WHL]

They can be a nuisance, though why they always want to get preferential treatment May be considered to be unreasonable. Many self emplyed people who own small businesses were not given any monetary help in the first lockdown. Another lockdown now could finish them if they are forced to close.

Dee

Not correct the vast majority of small buissness's , that are legally registered etc, received compensation during the lockdown, my business being one of them.

[Maggie B]

Hell hath no fury like the wrath of a woman scorned. . .or something like that?

Not romantically scorned because he was a big ugly DRIP to boot. . . . . .But, completely and utterly ripped off by a taxi driver in 2005 and I NEVER forgave the 'Mafia Crew' after that. You could tell them a mile off.

Fortunately, and to our delight, before we left Paphos we found a couple of very honest and professional taxi companies who could be trusted implicitely.

The good uns, I wish so well because they were a complete breath of fresh air. . . . however the bad uns I have no sympathy for.

You can tell I'm not bitter . . . . . .can't you??

Maggie B

[Kili01]

The lady that I'm referring to, is British, pays into the social fund and runs her own hairdressing business and is legally registered. She has received zilch, she knows of other expats running small businesses here who have also missed out. She has made enquiries, but so far has got nowhere. She is working very hard, putting in long hours now trying to keep her head above water. Because of this, just doesn't have the time needed to go there to pursue her claim.
Dee

[WHL]

The lady that I'm referring to, is British, pays into the social fund and runs her own hairdressing business and is legally registered. She has received zilch, she knows of other expats running small businesses here who have also missed out. She has made enquiries, but so far has got nowhere. She is working very hard, putting in long hours now trying to keep her head above water. Because of this, just doesn't have the time needed to go there to pursue her claim.
Dee

Quote, Many self emplyed people who own small businesses were not given any monetary help in the first lockdown.
So you know of one lady. not exactly many self employed is it?
Don't hairdresser's have to close one day a week, could she not take that opportunity to go to the social office and find out why she hasn't had some money from them, she dosnt have five minutes in a day free, to phone up, or email them?????????

[Lucie]

To be eligible for lockdown compensation as a self employed person, you have to prove what your income was for the same period last year. This is probably the problem with the taxi drivers.

[Lincoln]

We were out to the Hospital today and saw taxis with clients in the back being ferried about.

[trevnhil]

It is quite possible that not ALL taxi drivers joined in the strike.. If indeed it went ahead as stated

[Mirek]

I am unsure what the qualification are/were in Cyprus for small businesses receiving Government Covid-19 grants, however, in the UK our scheme for small businesses was super simple and payed out very quickly twice for the last 6 months and we have a smaller dollop coming at the end of this month for November December and January with the scheme also planned to be ongoing for 3 months past that to 30.04.21


Basically they took the last 3 years accounts on which we had been previously paid tax and payed a % upto a maximum sum ( about GBP £ 2500 a month maximum )

Super simple to apply for and paid out super quick

Basically they rewarded the people who had been legal, kept their affairs in order and upto date and had contributed the greatest in the past

Those flying under the radar and those dodging tax got considerably less or nothing

Even below that ( people who had just started/not earned much etc ) could claim Universal Credit although I am led to believe it is less than GBP £ 100 per week but depends on circumstances

[WHL]

I am unsure what the qualification are/were in Cyprus for small businesses receiving Government Covid-19 grants, however, in the UK our scheme for small businesses was super simple and payed out very quickly twice for the last 6 months and we have a smaller dollop coming at the end of this month for November December and January with the scheme also planned to be ongoing for 3 months past that to 30.04.21


Basically they took the last 3 years accounts on which we had been previously paid tax and payed a % upto a maximum sum ( about GBP £ 2500 a month maximum )

Super simple to apply for and paid out super quick

Basically they rewarded the people who had been legal, kept their affairs in order and upto date and had contributed the greatest in the past

Those flying under the radar and those dodging tax got considerably less or nothing

Even below that ( people who had just started/not earned much etc ) could claim Universal Credit although I am led to believe it is less than GBP £ 100 per week but depends on circumstances

It was relatively simple as HIC said, plenty of info from the Government, re how to claim, all you had to do was fill a form out at the social office provide them with som details, which in my case the accountant did, and then we got three payments over three months, alot of self employed didn't get anything mainly because they were ducking and diving ala Del boy, over the years either not registered with the tax people etc, that's the main reason some didn't get anything, their fault no body else's.

[Uncle D]

To be eligible for lockdown compensation as a self employed person, you have to prove what your income was for the same period last year. This is probably the problem with the taxi drivers.

I am so glad if this is the case. they refuse to use meters and charge what they like, with no record on the meters they don't pay tax on anything that they take. Sod em

[WHL]

To be eligible for lockdown compensation as a self employed person, you have to prove what your income was for the same period last year. This is probably the problem with the taxi drivers.

I am so glad if this is the case. they refuse to use meters and charge what they like, with no record on the meters they don't pay tax on anything that they take. Sod em

Not only taxi drivers, I know a painter and decorator, who works mainly with expats, work coming out of ears, never registered for anything, never paid a cent in tax etc, and he was moaning to a mate of mine that the government here are a bunch of anchors for not helping small self employed people out,,,,,

[Kili01]

Returning to the subject, if there was a taxi strike yesterday, there was no sign of any taxis on the approach roads to the Motorway roundabout... I had no problems using it and there was less traffic than usual!
So was the taxi strike just another rumour?
Dee

[Lofos-Jan]

Obviously payments were based on declared income and this is the crux of the problem. Someone I know got very little but it was based on their salary in 2018. She works in a restaurant and told me that a lot of her income (several hundred a month) is from the tips she received. As no one declares their tips (and if I was on a very low wage already working in a restaurant - I probably wouldn’t either to be honest), this came back to bite many people.

Jeanne