Electronic auctions of foreclosed real estate for arrears to the state - mainly back taxes, by taxpayers and legal entities - debut on April 27 in Greece, a date that will come nearly two months after a similar process commenced for properties put on the auction block by private lenders.Electronic auctions have substituted the traditional courthouse and notary-supervised procedure, which over the previous period collapsed due to protests, judicial "red tape" and subsequent abstentions by notaries' associations, which decried the first two obstacles.According to recently passed legislation, the Greek state's tax and revenue-collecting agencies now have the capability of assigning private assessors the task of determining commercial values of properties up for auction. Previously, objective criteria - calculated and imposed by the tax bureau - were used for determining real estate value, which in Greece's now imploded property market often meant that the starting price for a property was significantly higher than the commercial value.Read more here.RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism reportPhoto Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Lemur12 License: CC-BY-SASource: naftemporiki.gr