In addition to increasing spending on Health and Education, we have in our plan to further reduce tax rates, Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told ERT.

“Different states, each in its own way, employ different means in order to achieve the greatest possible degree of tax justice. And so do we. Of course, we are also moving forward with the use of POS at this time in the bill and with ministerial decisions. We are moving forward with measures against smuggling. We are moving forward with mandatory electronic invoicing, with the transmission, with the generalization of data, with measures for short-term leases. We have 11 different initiatives in the bill and among these initiatives is the initiative for freelancers,” he said.

“You should know, that based on official Eurostat data, the Greek state’s tax collections from self-employed workers each year is 0.8% of GDP. The Eurozone average is 2.1. With the intervention we are doing, we are going to what is considered a tax storm, and so on, we are going from 0.8 to 1.1-1.2,” he then emphasized.

It is not reasonable for a freelancer to declare an income lower than his employee, the minister clarified in the same interview.

“What we are saying is that it is not reasonable for a freelancer to declare an income below that of an employee, and indeed an employee who is paid the minimum wage. We say this because today we have reached the point where the wage earner, the average wage earner pays the tax office 1,160 euros and the self-employed who declare 85% to be precise who declare exclusively self-employment pay 867, 1160 Salaried 867 the self-employed.

If someone comes along and makes an argument and says that a freelancer who owns a sole proprietorship earns less than an employee in his shop and business who is paid minimum wage, then let’s agree to that and end the debate about tax evasion freelancers”.

“We estimate that compared to what we collect annually now, we will collect 3 billion euros more by 2027.

From freelancers we estimate that, after the abolition of the pretense fee, it will be more than 600 million euros per year. The money will go to increase the costs of Health primarily and Education.
And our goal is precisely by addressing the issue of tax evasion, to be able to go to lower tax rates at the end of the journey. But what is basically raising tax rates in Greece right now is tax evasion. If the issue is dealt with more fully, we will be able to lower the tax rates as well,” explains Mr. Hatzidakis.

“We are not talking about the tablets of Moses. It is not the de facto 10 commandments and this applies to all bills. Be careful because this is also misinterpreted. We didn’t come to say this is it and it’s over. But be careful, we also cannot accept the logic I explained earlier, and I think neither does the vast majority of Greek society, that a professional is poorer than his employee who is paid the minimum wage. We do not accept this.”

There is light on the horizon for granting additional means of support until the end of the year, Mr. Hatzidakis then emphasized. “By the time the budget is submitted, the landscape will have become clear,” he emphasized.
“Because all this policy is implemented and we have not given in to populism, it seems that despite the difficulties there is a light on the horizon. It will be determined in the next few days and around the days when the budget will be tabled, We will have a picture” he said. “Everything that exists to the extent that it exists, will be related to the strengthening of vulnerable groups” he concluded.