Smooth and without problems the process of submitting applications to the platform for the market pass shopping card is proceeding, the Deputy Minister of Development and Investments said speaking to ERTNEWS, Nikos Papathanasis.

The payments of the money will be made on March 3, the deputy minister said and added: “Whoever chooses the immaterial card will get 100% of the amount, in every month that runs. Whoever chooses a deposit to their account will receive the amount reduced by 20%, in two installments. On March 3 and May 3.”

As he explained, the program ends at the end of July, but the monthly amount is added up, it is not lost and one can use the market pass until the end of August.

Responding to the criticism that the market pass corresponds to little money, he said that “the market pass returns 10% of the purchases of whoever uses it and concerns 85% of our fellow citizens”.

“We do not meet the needs of the world at 100%, but this 10% is higher than the 7% reduction in VAT on food proposed by SYRIZA, which reduction, we do not know if it would reach the consumer. From 13% to 6%, the VAT reduction in food proposed by SYRIZA is 7 percentage points. At 520 euros, if we reduce the VAT by 7 percentage points, it is 32 euros. We give 52 euros for 520”.

Regarding the controls, he noted: “We have set a profit percentage level that the chains cannot exceed when they sell a product, and that is where we do the controls and impose the fines.”

For the “household basket” and the complaints that in it are private label products of the respective supermarket, he pointed out that “40% of the products are branded products” and brought as an example that in the basket we find both branded and private label milk and feta cheese.

As he emphasized, “by keeping the price constant, we enable those who want to shop for cheaper products to buy them from the basket. A family of four, if they buy from the basket, it is estimated that they will save around 80 euros per month. He will also receive 52 euros from the shopping card. This makes us 132 euros. No one said we can cover the entire precision wave. Indeed food inflation is at 15%, but we have the fifth lowest inflation in Europe. That’s why we have these tools that partially cover the accuracy wave.”

As far as the “Lent basket” is concerned, he clarified that fresh items will not be included, only frozen seafood.

Finally, regarding the decision of the former prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, not to be a candidate in the elections, he said that “it was at his discretion to decide that. The former prime minister has always been on the side of New Democracy and the government. We stand by his statement. He made it clear that he will be with the government during the election campaign as well. I think that every politician should choose when to leave active politics.”