By Chrysostomos Tsoufis

Something is happening with the legislative process and the implementation of the…

Laws are written hastily, without considering important parameters, other laws which were inadequate or were of previous governments of other political… shade are not repealed with other laws, but are implemented as they like, causing more problems, other laws are passed and not implemented.

In all cases the “threatened” is the citizen.

Let’s take them for example increases in self-employed contributions. THE memorandum law of Katrougalos he stipulated that they should make up 20% of total income giving rise to the tie movement as it was called.

With the Brutsi law a new regime for their calculation was decided on the basis of which until 2022 they remained stable, in 2023 and 2024 they increased based on inflation and from 2025 they should increase based on a new wage change index that ELSTAT would prepare. Which, however, was not ready in the New Year of 2025, so this year the increase was again based on inflation.

It now appears from the available information that and in 2026 the increase can be done with inflation. This is because if the law is implemented, contributions may increase by 5%, while if inflation is used as a basis, we will be at 2.6%.

So we have a law that is not going to be implemented for the 2nd consecutive year (that in 2025 this was not done for technical reasons and that is a mistake) even if here the government wants to favor freelancers.

But the government itself cannot not implement the laws. For God’s sake, I’m not saying that the tax payers should be burdened, but let’s put in a provision that the increases will be based on the smaller of the 2 sizes, so that such issues do not arise.

Second issue widow’s pensions. Again here o Katrougalos law provides for specific cuts, according to which after three years the widow’s pension is halved (from 70% to 35%) if the beneficiary works or receives his/her own pension.

Although the government faced significant technical difficulties that prevented it from implementing the law in its entirety, instead of changing it or suspending its implementation altogether, it implemented it a la carte, where there were no technical difficulties. Somehow widow’s pensions were cut from 2020 only in the State and OGA.

50,000-70,000 private sector widows and widowers continued to receive money that by law they should not have…

And now? What happens now?

All the scenarios that are on the table (return to instalments, reduction of national pension, cut of the smaller of the 2) have issues since… children and children have been born and while the government is trying to find a solution, the problem grows.

The third example has to do with universal implementation of IRIS in the market. I get over the fact that there are technical difficulties on the part of the banks because it is not something that the government can control.

The government is responsible for assuring that there will be no cost to businesses from the implementation of the measure. However, according to the announcement of the professional chamber of Athens, an amount of 500 to 1,500 euros is required for businesses to operate with the new system, with the result that all agencies are now requesting an extension of the implementation of a measure that is objectively good for all sides.

For both consumers and businesses as it has lower fees.

The measure was eventually extended until December 1, but the fact that the government had neither informed businesses of the extra costs nor set up a financial tool to relieve them remains.