Greece’s financial situation will probably grow worse before it improves. In the middle of 2014, it was experiencing a mild recovery after a half-decade recession in which the economy shrank by one-fourth. But the gross domestic product fell 0.4 percent in the October-December period, compared with the preceding quarter. If growth shrinks again in the first quarter as expected, Greece will officially re-enter a recession.

At Mr. Xanthis’s marine goods export firm, the crisis took a toll beyond sales. While none of his 11 employees were laid off, he said, they all agreed to take pay cuts of up to 35 percent to help make up for losses. In turn, they cut their personal spending on nearly everything but necessities.

Mr. Xanthis fears the potential consequences if Greece’s financial situation worsens. “It would be catastrophic if Greece were to exit the eurozone,” he said. “It would take years before there was a recovery.”

Nearby, in Piraeus, just south of Athens, Paul Politakis, the owner of a men’s clothing shop, said sales of his suits, shirts and accessories had started to fall again after last year’s slight recovery. Even though he has lowered his prices, “people don’t have enough money to spend,” Mr. Politakis said. “You’re talking about a country that still has 25 percent unemployment, and millions of people who owe taxes and money to the state that they can’t pay.”

Last week, the government exhorted Greeks to pay their taxes — or at least pay what they could. “It’s part of our patriotic duty,” Mr. Varoufakis said.

To gain access to early bailout aid, the letter Mr. Varoufakis will present in Brussels on Monday includes the creation of a so-called fiscal council to generate savings, new rules for lottery and gambling licenses aimed at raising revenue and streamlining the bureaucracy to stimulate business investment.

The package will also include “humanitarian relief” proposals, including the provision of food stamps to 300,000 poor Greeks and the reconnection of electricity to struggling households whose utility bills the government will partly pay. The authorities will also let tax debtors use installments to pay off what they owe. Greece will need to offset those costs through other cuts, or tax increases, if it is to persuade creditors to dispense the bailout money.