From Chios, where he spoke tonight at a gathering of PASOK-Movement friends and voters, Nikos Androulakis went on the counter-attack and responded to the intense criticism received by the ND of his proposals for tax reform.

“They say we want to tax the most powerful. Is this unfair? In which European country do the powerful not pay more than the weak? I want to put them down, specifically, one by one. They are suing us, because we increase the 4.8 million euro tax-free limit on parental benefits to 400,000 per parent, i.e. to 800,000 in total. Can you tell me? Is there a middle-class parent or a weak Greek, who has to pass on a fortune of 4.8 million euros to his children, Mr. Mitsotakis? Who does this injustice concern? The people or your oligarch friends?’ pointed out Mr. Androulakis.

Regarding the dividend holders, he emphasized: “Mr. Mitsotakis’ new ally, Mr. Skertsos, argues that PASOK’s tax policy for dividends is unfair, hits the middle class and de-nationalizes the Greek economy. The New Republic has imposed a 5% horizontal tax on dividends. Whether you have a 10,000 dividend, or 70,000, or 2 million. Let me give an average example: Dividend of 70,000 euros. To understand populism and how the media supports Mr. Mitsotakis with the attack they are making on us today, the tax for the dividend, from 3,500 goes to 4,500. For a thousand Mr. Schertsos, will the Greek economy be de-Hellenized, or is it de-Hellenized because you sold the bad loans to the funds and the crows are blackmailing the Greek people, small and medium enterprises, agricultural cooperatives? This is the danger of the de-Hellenization of the Greek economy and not fair social democratic taxation. So that’s why, so far. Finally the tax policy, where the few profit at the expense of the middle class!”.

Mr. Androulakis accused the ND of increasing accuracy and avoiding taxing the excess profits of businesses.

“In 2022, when milk and bread prices were galloping, 150 listed companies tripled their profits, Mr. Mitsotakis, at the expense of the Greek people and not for the benefit of economic and social justice. And what did you do about it? Nothing. 2/3 of the state’s revenues are indirect taxes, which primarily affect the middle class and the weakest. Inequalities persist. Mr. Mitsotakis loaded 50 billion euros more debt on the backs of the Greek people. Greeks are third from the end in the European Union in terms of purchasing power, and the country’s trade deficit is the largest since 2010,” noted Mr. Androulakis.

Referring to the evaluation of the election result of May 21, the president of PASOK-Movement for Change turned to SYRIZA saying decisively: “I want to say something to the gentlemen of SYRIZA: It is the fault, as they say, of the KKE and PASOK because the map became blue. It is also the fault of the simple analog, which they brought. I want to remind Mr. Tsipras that the map was also blue in 2019, not only in the national elections, but also in the regional elections. If it weren’t for Stavros Arnautakis in Crete, New Democracy would have 13 Regions, Mr. Tsipras, so you don’t sell seaweed for silk ribbons. You have turned the map blue with populism and division in recent years. And we came to make it green and democratic, to give real hope for all Greek women and all Greeks”.

He called on democratic citizens to support PASOK-KINAL. “Mr. Mitsotakis is comfortable with SYRIZA, but now PASOK is here, united, strong, the real alternative force against the Right, and I call on every democrat, every progressive citizen, to rely on this historic movement to have a real opponent the New Democracy and not its ‘golden’ sponsor”.

Regarding Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Androulakis emphasized: “The European partners must commit – and this is a national struggle of all parties – that no European state sells a single bullet to Turkey.” This people cannot pay billions for armaments, instead of channeling this money to health, education and the welfare state. We want the Europe of peoples, solidarity and a common foreign policy. The Europe of the European army, of European borders. This means a united Europe and not the Europe of markets and management as our founder Andreas Papandreou used to say.”

Finally, referring to the refugee-immigrant issue, he noted: “There is only one solution and it is institutional: To change ‘Dublin’.” Mr. Mitsotakis does not say much about this, because he knows that the conservative Europe of the People’s Party is the one that ‘froze’ through the Austrian Presidency the negotiations for the reform of ‘Dublin'”.