New announcements by the Prime Minister to support middle class support are coming in September, aimed at reducing taxation in an interview with Sunday’s “ET” by the Deputy Prime Minister. Kostis Hatzidakiswhich at the same time comments on the government’s criticism of the opposition on support measures recently announced.
At the same time, Mr. Hatzidakis is talking about his candidacy for the Vice -President of the European People’s Party, and the strategy that Greece will follow to shield it from the impact of the trade war that has begun.
Specifically, Mr. Hatzidakis says that recent positive measures are due to the country’s best fiscal results for 2024, which are the best since 1995. This improvement has come from the development of the economy, the fight against tax evasion and the increase in revenue, -at the same time, the reductions of insurance contributions.
Although the opposition has expressed suspicion of the measures, the minister emphasizes that they are permanent and are not a pre -election tool, as the elections will take place in the spring of 2027. It notes that measures benefit 2.5 million Greeks, thus recovering financial stability and opposition to the opposition.
“Let the opposition parties decide whether or not we should have or should not move on with these measures,” he says, adding that this criticism shows that the government is moving in the right direction, “we want to give more to other social groups. However, we started from where social problems are even more intense, ”he says.
The Minister states that if the positive forecasts for the implementation of the budget are verified there will be a second round of initiatives in September. Recent announcements are mainly focused on addressing housing problems and poverty of specific groups, such as pensioners and disabled, “we must not forget all the rest of society at the same time, and especially consistent taxpayers and the middle class. That is why interventions will be announced in September to reduce immediate taxation, “the minister said.
Mr Hatzidakis says that in the last 5.5 years, 72 taxes have been reduced, and the goal is to make even more bold interventions, now that fiscal balance has been achieved. He points out that citizens can be sure of steady progress and upgrading of the economy, rejecting the opposition charges for irresponsible practices and promises clean accounts with citizens.
He recalls that the present government was released on the increases of pensions, which had been frozen for 12 years. The current increase in pensions is estimated to cover the inflation of the year, although it recognizes that pensioners are one of the most vulnerable social groups and that the situation has improved in recent years.
Regarding the personal difference, he says that this year it will be addressed with some additional benefits, initiated by the Prime Minister. “It is something that the government knows and is trying to deal with it to some extent every year,” he said.
The minister acknowledges that the US trade war is an important issue for Greece, although the country is less exposed than other European countries. He emphasizes that a possible recession in the European economy can have a negative secondary impact on Greek exports and tourism, so the government is closely monitoring developments.
Specifically for Greece, Mr Hatzidakis highlights the developed Greek-US bilateral relations, which have been strengthened during this government, as he says, with significant US investments in the country, such as those of Pfizer, Cisco, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, as well as Chevron and Exxonmobil. The purpose of the government is to maintain and strengthen these relationships, with the priority of European unity. It says that Europe’s goal is to achieve a mutually beneficial trade agreement and to strengthen its strategic autonomy, according to Mario Draghi’s proposals.
Concerning the opposition, he comments that political opponents are chosen by society and not by the government. He stresses that the New Democracy focuses on the problems of the citizens, finding that the opposition is facing a crisis. He clarifies that the government does not intend to analyze opposition political moves, but will focus on improving the daily lives of citizens.
“If we continue to do this, I believe that in the end there will be the vast majority of the citizens, that the New Democracy government with prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is not only in their difficult times in the difficult times we are going through internationally, but also the best guarantee that their level of living will be constantly improved.”
Regarding his candidacy for the position of Vice President of the European People’s Party (ELK), he said that this proposal came from the prime minister and was not something he sought. His candidacy was tabled in the face of the ELK conference in Valencia, Spain.