In clarifications on the annual tax burden that will emerge from the new increase in minimum wagewhich will be announced according to planning the tomorrow, Wednesday 26th of the month, was proceeded by a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance (a spokesman for the Treasury (Ministry), Homer Tsapalos, speaking in the first program.
The minister’s spokesman, referring to the minimum wage, spoke of a “misinformation campaign” at Twitter.
“The minimum wage has not yet been announced, on Wednesday, this is going to be done on the internet, and especially on Twitter, there has been a huge misinformation campaign that virtually no more or less tells us that the government is coming and it establishes 50 euros for example, hypothetical, but not a matter of taxpayer, applies. Obviously they are fake news, ”he said.
Initially, according to Mr Tsapalos, the tax burden will be annual and not monthly and will concern those employees with minimum wage not covered by the tax free. “Those who have children, two dependent members and above have no issue,” said Tsapalos, that is, 9,000 euros plus 1,000 euros for each dependent member.
“We have to say that first, it concerns a burden that is annual and not monthly. However, an employee who is paid the minimum wage today pays a tax of € 138 per year, all year and not every month. And if we now go to the hypothetical scenario that this employee with the minimum has no children, so he has to pay tax, because he is not covered by the tax free, this amount from 138 euros will go to 244 per year. We are therefore talking about a few euros a month for the amount that the citizen will actually receive as an increase in the minimum wage. “
According to Mr Tsapalos, if for example, the minimum wage is € 870, the monthly charge will be around 8-8.5 euros or 9.5 euros if it locks at 900.
However, Mr Tsapalos noted that there should be a remodeling of the scales.
“Let’s go to tax scales now. So let’s go here now what we are thinking. Our priorities, for what will be announced at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition by the Prime Minister, is the part of the adjustment, of reviewing direct tax scales. So here we will see how there is a greater justice and a greater balance on the scales, which have changed for several years at the same time as they have increased enough, I would say, incomes, such as the minimum of 30% or average salary close to 21-22%. That is, we need to adjust the scales to today’s data, so that the employees, the pensioners, the people who pay taxes, there is less withholding in their salary, through this adjustment so that they can indirectly see an income boost in their pocket. So we are now working on this and will be presented a comprehensive plan, as we conclude that this is one of the measures to be announced at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition next September, “Mr Tsapalos added.
“To conclude, closing that along with the minimum in the private, the salaries of civil servants from April are also increasing. Whatever the amount increases the minimum, the other will increase for civil servants. With the exception that civil servants will all see this increase, all their salary scales and will be a significant increase after some time. Remember last January we gave the latter, and they will see an increase quite significantly in their earnings, “he said.