The Greek government has announced a new package of austerity measures expected to defuse a government debt crisis. The new measures, aimed at saving 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, include a 30-percent cut in their holiday bonus for civil servants, tax hikes of two percentage points on fuel and cigarettes. Value-added tax is up from 19 to 21 per cent. Prime Minister George Papandreou said the decisions were necessary for the survival of the country and the economy.