Limassol mayor calls for adequate state funding for local government reform

Limassol, Cyprus. Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis said on Monday that local government reform cannot succeed without adequate state funding.

Speaking during the Union of Cyprus Municipalities’ three-hour work stoppage across the island, Armeftis described the protest as a “last-ditch effort” to ensure the reform functions properly and serves residents’ interests.

Funding concerns

Armeftis said municipalities were seeking “adequate funding, not privileges” and rejected government claims that state funding had increased.

He said much of the reported increase reflected the transfer of new responsibilities, including road maintenance, rather than additional financial support.

“Funding per citizen has decreased. According to data from the Union of Municipalities, it has fallen from €188.35 per citizen in 2010 to approximately €155 today because of the increase in the population of the new municipalities,” he said.

Revenue proposal

Armeftis said state tax revenues had more than doubled while government funding for municipalities had remained largely unchanged.

He added that newly created municipalities had inherited the financial obligations of former communities, adding pressure to their budgets.

Armeftis reiterated that the Union of Municipalities opposed increases in taxes or fees for residents and proposed linking state funding to a fixed percentage of state revenues to support municipalities’ long-term financial sustainability.