A lower VAT rate will temporarily continue on five eastern Aegean islands facing the biggest flows of third country nationals being ferried over from the Turkish coast, part of a continuing but abated Mideast refugee and Third World migrant crisis that erupted in the area in 2015 - four years after the start of the Syrian civil war.
The islands that will be excluded from the higher VAT rates are Lesvos (Mytilene), Hios (Chios), Samos, Kos and Leros, at least up until June 30, 2018, right before the start of the peak summer holiday season.
All of the other Aegean islands that were previously included in a lower VAT regime - including well-known and pricey tourist destinations such as Mykonos, Santorini and Rhodes - will see their rates harmonized with the rest of Greece, including the "Scandinavian level" 24 percent in the highest bracket.
