- Mayor Doxastakis sent a formal proposal to the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE).
- He argues the current framework forces municipalities to hand over 40% of gross revenues from beach use.
- He proposes a 10% rate instead, written into a new Joint Ministerial Decision.
It is not often that a mayor waves the red flag at Athens with such urgency. Still, Hersonissos’ Zacharias Doxastakis is done whispering. In a formal letter to the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), he warns of “serious dysfunctions and problems” in how the State forces municipalities to manage beaches.
At the center of the quarrel is the so-called “simple use of seashore and beach” — bureaucratic language for those who rent out sunbeds, umbrellas, and services. According to Doxastakis, the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate of Public Property and local Land Offices have already demanded that municipal companies pay 40% of their gross revenues from beach operations in 2024 directly to the State.
For Hersonissos, a municipality that maintains dozens of kilometers of coastline, the numbers do not add up. As the mayor puts it plainly:
“Η Τοπική Αυτοδιοίκηση δεν μπορεί να συνεχίσει να λειτουργεί υπό συνθήκες οικονομικής ασφυξίας και ασάφειας.”
“Local government cannot continue to operate under conditions of economic suffocation and ambiguity.”
A Call for Realism on the Sand
Beyond revenue-sharing, municipalities are also expected to cover staff salaries, renew equipment, pay for lifeguards, and keep beaches clean. “Unrealistic and unsustainable,” says Doxastakis.
His fix is both technical and straightforward: strike out the current clauses and replace them with a new rule. Instead of 40%, municipalities or their companies would owe just 10% of gross revenues to the State — no more, no less.
The mayor insists this is not just accounting, but survival:
“Η διαχείριση των παραλιών πρέπει να γίνεται με σεβασμό στις ανάγκες των τοπικών κοινωνιών και με ρεαλιστικούς όρους. Ζητάμε ένα δίκαιο και εφαρμόσιμο πλαίσιο, που θα επιτρέπει στους Δήμους να ανταποκρίνονται στις υποχρεώσεις τους χωρίς να υπονομεύεται η βιωσιμότητά τους.”
“The management of beaches must be carried out with respect for the needs of local communities and under realistic terms. We ask for a fair and workable framework that will allow municipalities to meet their obligations without undermining their viability.”
The proposal now sits with KEDE’s board, which is expected to vote on whether to press the ministries of Finance, Environment and Energy, and Interior for a new Joint Ministerial Decision.
For Crete’s busiest tourist municipalities, this is not a side issue. The beaches are not just sand and sea; they are the beating heart of the summer economy. And if the State insists on taking nearly half the pulse, Doxastakis warns, the patient will not survive long.
