Incentives announced for use of motorcycle helmets

The government has announced incentives for the use of motorcycle helmets that include cutting value-added tax on protective gear from 24 percent to 13 percent.

“I will not accept any deviation from the obligatory use of helmets. Just like we are implementing the anti-smoking law, we are also making it absolutely clear that the use of helmets is compulsory,” Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday, adding that road safety is high on the government’s agenda.

“It is unacceptable that so many people die in traffic accidents,” he said, stressing that his government is committed to a long-term plan to tackle the problem – including improvements in the education of young drivers, better road quality, as well as the rigorous implementation of the traffic code.

The measure will be included in the next tax bill after the summer.