As the TIF approaches and the proposals for the measures announced by the prime minister are in the final stage of configuration, his tax footprint inflation emerges on one of the basic issues for the middle class and in general taxpayer.
Although the non -adjustment of tax stakes to price increases, that is, the phenomenon often called “scale slip” or “inflation tax”, has a quiet but essentially on the income of millions of taxpayers, the financial staff does not consider.
His information newsit.gr The Ministry of Finance (Ministry of Finance) reports that this possibility (although one of the scenarios that were widely moved in the past months) is not considered. The reason is that it is a measure that is judged to be budgetary unprofitable, as it would mean that public revenue would accept a major blow.
According to data from the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE), resulting from this year’s tax returns, there has been an increase in both declared income and total tax. The tax confirmed for 2024 (2023) amounts to € 4.95 billion, higher than the 4.8 billion of last year, while average tax per debit clearance is € 2,103. Although reinforcement of income explains part of the increase, the stability of the tax thresholds, which drives part of taxpayers to higher levels, also plays an important role, even when their real earnings remain stagnant or decrease in terms of purchasing power.
The recent Eurobank report shows that the increase in tax burden for the period 2021–2023 is due to a significant (37%) in the absence of a tax adaptation of the tax scale. The tax burden on employees and retirees increased by 0.9 percentage points, while the study itself points out that with complete price, this burden would not only have been avoided, but would probably have fallen marginally.
Of particular interest is the impact on the middle and upper middle income, for which the non -adjustment of the scales leads to a higher average tax, without a proportionate enhancement of the actual purchasing capacity. For taxpayers located between 40% and 70% of income distribution, the tax would be up to 32% lower in the event of full pricing, according to the findings of the report.
The government, according to information so far, is considering selective changes in the tax scale since 2026, with the aim of relieving specific taxpayers, but without direct price adjustment of the boundaries. At the same time, the possibility of a general decline in VAT is removed, with the attention focusing more on targeted support of the most vulnerable and on the maintenance of fiscal stability.
The Eurobank study itself puts on the table alternatively price scenarios, from full adaptation based on inflation to targeted interventions to selected tax boundaries. As noted, a more flexible approach, by incorporating fiscal parameters and maintenance of surpluses, can be a possible solution for the next period.
Finally, it should not be overlooked that the fiscal space created by the increase in revenue – which are expected to reach 15.16 billion euros in 2025 by taxation of natural persons – can be used with targeted interventions. Especially at a time when increased living costs and accuracy affect the available income, every step in the direction of fairer taxation becomes important.