Greek PM asks top tax official to quit after charges over TV ads

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras demanded the resignation of the country's top tax official on Friday, a day after she was charged with breach of duty in attempting to defer tax collections from the country's TV stations by a year, government officials said. Katerina Savvaidou, who as the general secretary for state revenues, holds a key post in bailout negotiations between Greece and international lenders. On Thursday she was charged by a prosecutor for breach of duty. Court officials said Savvaidou had in January 2015 prepared a circular extending by about a year collection processes on revenues from TV advertising, violating an existing law. "The Prime Minister asked the finance minister to seek Savvaidou's resignation," a government official told Reuters, without elaborating on the reason. Savvaidou was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting By Lefteris Papadimas)