Two -hour meeting with the mayors and district governors of 19 islandsto which from January 1, 2026 there will be a decrease in VAT By 30%, the Minister of National Economy and Finance Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Deputy Minister Nikos Papathanassis and Deputy Minister Thanos Petralias and Giorgos Kotsiras.
The meeting was digitally held and the discussion, in a particularly warm and honest climate, focused both on the tax reform based on demographic and middle class, as well as on Reduction of VAT on Acritus Islands and Gradual abolition of ENFIA in all settlements with a population of less than 1,500 inhabitants.
Political leadership explained to the islanders that the reduction of value added tax concerns all products and services.
VAT from 24% is reduced to 17% and from 13% to 9%. Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis emphasized that these measures “do not solve the problem of demographic”, but they are clearly indication that the state recognizes the reduction of births as a major issue and wants to contribute to any way to reversing the numbers. The government has satisfied a timeless demand of local government and Members. “You keep the country upright,” the minister told the islands, “and we are here to support you.”
Almost all mayors and regional governors were asked and received, who expressed their satisfaction with reduced VAT. The debate was not limited to tax changes. The mayors raised all the issues that concern them to the Minister and political leadership: from the potential expansion of the measure and development funds to the issue of Airbnb penetration and the ability to build local authorities themselves into public housing for doctors and teachers. It was jointly agreed that these meetings were repeated at regular intervals, so that the Ministry of Finance would contribute in every appropriate way to addressing the challenges of the islands.
The meeting was attended by the South Aegean Regional Governor George Hatzimarkos, the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christodoulos Topsidis, the Northern Aegean Vice-Mayor Dimitrios Kallias and Efstratios Kyratios, and the Mayor of the Aegean Kotoros, Halkis Evangelos Frangakis, Kassos Michael Erotokritos, Astypalaias Nikolaos Kominea, Agios Efstratios Konstantinos Sinanis, Ikaria Fanourios Karoutsos, Fouron Korsoni Dimitrios Karydis Nikolaos ASVISTIS, Kalymnion Ioannis Mastrokoukos, Nisyros Christofi Koroneos, Patmos Nikitas Tsambalakis, Deputy Mayor of Economics Ioanna Diamataris and Secretary General of Karpathos Michalis Gerakianakis.