After the introductory remark “we are all entitled to a good and calm summer, after two years of pandemic, restrictions” and with the simultaneous clarification that the pandemic “has not left us, (but) tends to become endemic”, the discussion on ANT1 television station , attended by the Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, came to the issue of inflation: The Minister of State, after reiterating that “it is a global problem and inflationary trends have been caused by the energy crisis”, remarked that “grosso modo we are close to the Eurozone ( in inflation) “.
At the same time, he pledged that as the state revenues increase, and in any case not beyond the … quilt, “we are next to both businesses and households, to support mainly the most vulnerable and whatever is needed, we will doing”.
Fiscal policy
Acknowledging that accuracy is “the number one problem”, he assured: “The government is doing the best it can. We boost income, we reduce taxes, we give targeted benefits, we have open ears to all fair demands. “Whatever is needed and where there is a problem, we will intervene, so that the citizens can be sure”, he said and noted: “We are not an indifferent government, we are above the problems, we feel that people are in pain at the moment. “The goal is to make targeted increases in the income of those who really need it.”
Minimal reduction in fuel consumption
For fuel pricesMr. Skertsos, after accusing the opposition of “great speculation” and that he indulges in wish lists, answered, with evidence, the question that has been posed, why the government does not reduce taxes, given the reduction of consumption.
“In diesel consumption has not decreased at all, and in unleaded it has decreased by only 8%, according to the data of the General Accounting Office of the State”, he stressed to add: “If the Greek State had the opportunity to go the price 50 minutes below, in pre-crisis prices, this would cost 3.7 billion euros. Those who say that it is very easy to reduce the excise tax, VAT, should tell us where we will find these 3.7 billion. I remind you that the Greek budget is running, and this year, with a deficit of 2%, so it will the deficit must increase, the debt must increase. They should tell us which taxes we will increase, which new taxes we will bring or whether we should increase lending “, and all this at a time when” the country is going out of control “.
Moreover, according to him, the horizontal tax cuts create “a huge hole in public revenues, which can not be filled due to inelasticity in fuel consumption.”
The Minister of State also referred to the “very strict controls”, noting that “many fines have been imposed”, while in a question whether the aid will continue, replied: “Nothing is ruled out, everything will depend on the course of tourism and revenue. We have very positive samples, May seems to be going better than May 2019, which was a record year. “With the help of digitalization of transactions, this year we can have more revenue in public coffers.” “We have proven that whatever comes as development, is returned as a development dividend to those who need it,” he added.
However, “if we see excessive increases in fuel prices, then there should be broader solutions. “A country alone cannot solve an international problem,” he added.
Energy tariffs
On the issue of energy, “expensive energy tariffs are our No. 1 priority to close this front and with the policies that have been launched and agreed with our European partners, we are able to say that we will cover about 85% of the of increases in energy tariffs “, he underlined.
Regarding the taxation of surplus revenues, Mr. Skertsos said that the issue was clarified. “They have been estimated by the independent Energy Regulatory Authority at around 400-450 million euros and Greece is the only country in Europe that has said it will tax 90% of these overpayments. It is very bold what the Prime Minister has done, he is going against an entire market of energy producers. “Unfortunately, the opposition does not follow it, they did not vote in favor of this taxation”, he noted and remarked: “If we start questioning the independence of RAE, the independence of the Judiciary, it will become a jungle”.
In response to the request to reduce VAT on basic products, he replied that “we follow the recommendations of the European Commission, which says that in a time of acute crisis and inflationary pressure it is good to avoid horizontal tax cuts. They are unjust, they are reaped even by the one who does not have such a great financial need “.
Retirees – Minimum wage
For retirees, after referring to the benefits for low-income retirees, he specified that “1.3 million retirees have seen refunds of 1,000 euros in their pensions. Whatever justice judges, the state responds and returns it. In addition, 225,000 retirees saw permanent increases of 1% – 7.5%. “In January 2023, for the first time in 12 years, at least half of retirees will see an increase of close to 5% in their pensions.”
For the new, minimum wage, the Minister of State stressed that 50 euros come net in the pocket of the citizen, which means 883 per year, a 15th salary for low-wage workers, “and this is a significant help.”
Regarding ENFIA, he reiterated that 85% of taxpayers have seen a reduced ENFIA. After all, “it was a commitment of the New Democracy and the Prime Minister that has been fully implemented and above: We had said a reduction of 30% and it has been reduced by 35%”, he added.
National issues
Regarding national issues, Mr. Skertsos pointed out that “we follow a policy of seriousness, strengthening the deterrent power at the borders. “We have significantly strengthened our equipment, we have made important defense agreements.” Reiterating his belief in a “calm summer”, he spoke of “externalizing some problems that the Turkish government may have, we will not enter this slippery slope, we have no reason to do so.” “We are right on our side, we have strong allies, the prime minister has done an amazing job of internationalizing the problem in a serious, measured and proportionate way that any of our allies understands the problem we have at our door.” Comparing, in particular, the revision of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the revision of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as he observed, “everyone understands what problems Greece has been facing for many years.”
However, he also made a remark about the results of the visit of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to the United States of America: “Mr. Erdogan understood them and for that he is somewhat irritated, the opposition has not understood it”. “We are choosing the path of international law, moderation and legitimacy and that is how we will proceed,” he added.
In the issue that arose, finally, with the Greek and German personnel transport vehicles, Mr. Skertsos expressed the position that “we highlight a major problem which is a current obligation in the context of the obligations and responsibilities we have as a member state. European Union, let us also offer some forces on the Ukrainian front. We will give some old vehicles, we will get some better ones that better serve our needs “.
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