The “head-on conflict” between New Democracy and SYRIZA intensified on Friday over the costing of their programs, with the two parties entering the “trenches” regarding the credibility of those who are in charge.

With the country entering the final stretch for the June 25 elections, the staffs in Piraeus and Koumoundourou wish to demonstrate their credibility to public opinion, while highlighting the unreliability of the opponent.

ND, through the representative of the party Akis Skertsou, asks SYRIZA and Mr. Tsipras “where will he find the 83 billion euros in the four years, what taxes does he intend to impose and if he intends to put the Greek economy back into an excessive deficit process , with a new supervisory framework and an indefinite postponement of the investment grade”.

For its part, SYRIZA wants to focus on tax exemptions for the large majority of Greek society, as the president of SYRIZA said, repelling the attacks of the ND for increasing taxation on businesses in general, which causes associations among citizens for increases in taxation and contributions. “Not only do we not envisage increases in contributions, but we envisage exemptions with the abolition of the pretense fee, with the tax-free amount at 10,000 euros,” assured Mr. Tsipras on Friday.

“Let’s go to the General Accounting Office”

Alexis Tsipras from Western Attica, this morning asked Kyriakos Mitsotakis and New Democracy to go to the General Accounting Office of the State for the costing of their programs.

“Our program is an adversary of the ND” emphasized Mr. Tsipras and asked the citizens to listen to the plan of SYRIZA, the true program of SYRIZA and not through the propaganda and distortion attempted by the ND.

“Mr. Mitsotakis and ND were saying that the SYRIZA program is not priced. So let’s go to GLK, let’s go wherever he wants. Let’s go together! Let’s go together to the GLK, wherever you want. To cost our programs. On one condition. Don’t put it on your feet. We go to GLK and the next day we go to a televised confrontation to discuss the programs. Do not desert once more” stressed Alexis Tsipras. “Do not deny the dialogue, the discussion in the media, do not go from square to square taking the verdict of the Greek people for granted with arrogance and arrogance declaring that there is no opponent. Your opponent is our program” added the President of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance.

Then Mr. Tsipras said that “a lot of distortion and propaganda fell in the previous period before the elections. We were told that SYRIZA is supposedly coming to increase the insurance contributions for the self-employed. The truth is that the SYRIZA program not only does not provide for an increase in insurance contributions for the self-employed, but it also provides for the regulation of the debts that have accumulated for the self-employed, as we did in 2018 with a cut of the nominal debt and 120 installments. Not only do we not envisage increases in contributions, but we envisage exemptions by abolishing the pretension fee, with the tax-free amount at 10,000 euros. This is the program of SYRIZA”.

Mr. Tsipras also added that “we were told that SYRIZA is supposedly predicting an increase in taxes on businesses in general. The truth is that SYRIZA provides tax exemptions for the great majority of Greek society, as we are committed to reducing indirect taxes that have plundered society. Reduction of VAT on food, reduction of VAT on fuel to the lowest levels allowed in the EU, abolition of VAT for farmers and breeders. This is our program. Mr. Mitsotakis told us that his own government did not increase taxes in Greek society at all. The truth is that they had 4.5 billion more revenue in 2022 from VAT. How did this tax increase? When the cost in the basket of each household went from 50 euros to 100 and 150 euros and the VAT remained constant, this is how taxation increased. Through indirect taxes”.

Mr. Tsipras also referred to the direct assignments made by the ND, initially saying that “We were wrong to talk before the election about 10 billion in direct assignments and closed competitions by the ND” to add that “15 billion were within a three-year period . Those who point the finger at us and tell us where you will find the money to give a better salary to the newly appointed doctor or for the 13th pension”. In this context, Mr. Tsipras referred to the Recovery and Resilience Fund saying that “it is the big stake of the next period”. “The resources of the Recovery and Resilience Fund together with the NSRF reach 70 billion euros” he noted and wondered “to whom will the Greek people give the mandate to manage these 70 billion euros?” To those who gave 15 billion in direct assignments and closed tenders to private individuals? This is a critical question that needs answers.”

“With a delay of one ballot box, he recognizes the need for costing”

Akis Skertsos responded to the statement made earlier by Alexis Tsipras from Western Attica.

The representative of New Democracy stated that “we are glad that, even with a delay of one ballot, Mr. Tsipras recognizes the need for his program to be costed – beyond his financial staff – and by the General Accounting Office of the State or any competent state body he wishes” .

“We are therefore asking Mr. Tsipras to tell us where he will find the 83 billion euros over the four years, what taxes he intends to impose and if he intends to put the Greek economy back into an excessive deficit process,” says Mr. Skertsos at another point.

In detail, his statement:

“President, come with taxes”!

We are glad that, even with a delay of one ballot box, Mr. Tsipras recognizes the need for his program to be costed – beyond his financial staff – and by the General Accounting Office of the State or any competent state body he wishes, as we have repeatedly requested.

It would be a welcome project for him to officially submit his program with all the fiscal measures in every detail to the Interim Government, so that they can be re-quantified by the competent agencies. We ask, however, that in this process he does not forget to submit all the measures included in his program, including those he added after the quantification he did in TIF, as well as the increases in spending he proposes in Health and Education. And most importantly, to file the proposed tax increases in every detail.

As far as the New Democracy program is concerned, it is in perfect agreement with the objectives set in the Stability Program submitted a few weeks ago to the European Commission.

Specifically, the Stability Program includes in the base scenario, the cost of increasing pensions each year based on GDP and inflation (estimated at 450 million euros in the first year and increasing, so as to cumulatively reach 800 million euros in 2025, 1.1 billion euros in 2026 and 1.5 billion euros in 2027), as well as the announced by the TIF, an increase in the salaries of civil servants from 1/1/2024 (by 500 million euros), as well as the increase in disability allowances (by 95 million euros) effective from May.

The Stability Program also explicitly mentions the additional fiscal measures that have been announced after the announcement of the elections, amounting to 0.1% of GDP in 2024 and 0.3% of GDP in 2025 and 2026, which are covered by the available fiscal space. These include in detail the tax-free increase of 1,000 euros for families with children (cost of 77 million euros per year), the increase of 8% of the minimum guaranteed income (cost of 49 million euros per year), the gradual abolition of the pretense fee (cost of 89 million euros in 2025, 222 million euros in 2026 and 443 million euros in 2027), the gradual reduction of insurance contributions (at a cost of 230 million euros in 2025 and 2026 and 509 million in 2027), the increase of the allowance maternity leave for freelancers and farmers (at a cost of 40 million euros per year), the permanency of the exemption of former E.K.A.S. beneficiaries. from their participation in the pharmaceutical expenditure (at a cost of 38 million euros per year), the youth pass for young people coming of age (at a cost of 30 million euros per year) and the 10% ENFIA reduction for houses insured against natural disasters (at a cost of about 40 million euros per year).

The total cost of the above measures amounts to 1.3 billion euros in 2024, 2 billion euros in 2025, 2.5 billion euros in 2026 and 3.3 billion euros in 2027. This is also the calculated fiscal space that we have according to the provisions of the Stability Program.

We therefore ask Mr. Tsipras to tell us where he will find the 83 billion euros over the four years, what taxes he intends to impose and whether he intends to put the Greek economy back into an excessive deficit process, with a new supervisory framework and an indefinite postponement of investment grade.

And if you have any question about the quantification of any of our measures, let us know and we will gladly ask for it to be certified again by the competent services of the General Accounting Office of the State.

In the meantime, we will continue to talk about the Greece of the future, about higher wages, more investments, lower taxes, better hospitals, a more digital state, a better environment, strong defense and greater security at our borders and cities.”

“The masks have fallen”

“With his answer, Mr. Skertsos confirmed that the only program that is not costed in the end is that of the ND”, says SYRIZA-PS in a statement, commenting on the answer of the representative of the ND.

In its announcement, SYRIZA states: “As soon as the President of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance agreed to the joint appeal to an independent body for the costing of the two opposing political programs (ND and SYRIZA), Mr. Mitsotakis, with evasions, finally refused.” He then explains: “It is falsely claimed that the ND program has been costed because it has been included as such in the Medium Term. The truth, however, is that only one of the announced measures, the changes in the payroll, has been included in this. All the other announcements of Mr. Mitsotakis (increase in tax-free allowance for families with children, abolishing the pretense fee, increase in health expenses, etc.) are not included in the Medium Term. Now it is confirmed why for a whole week they lied that they allegedly had the costing of the SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance program from the GLK, because they wanted to hide the wish list of the ND”.

SYRIZA argues: “Given now the refusal to jointly estimate the costs of the ND and SYRIZA programs, it is not surprising that once again Mr. Mitsotakis wants to glorify himself in hiding and does not want the citizens to hear arguments and the opposing programs in a televised debate between the two political leaders. The same one who goes around Greece and arrogantly says that he has no opponent and who promised to debate in the second elections. The masks have fallen.”