The Minister of State Akis Skertsos makes a strong criticism of the tax counterproposal of the official opposition, with his post on social media.

As he comments “SYRIZA economic policy: Manolios has changed and changed his clothes”.

“One would expect after the disastrous 5 years of SYRIZA 2015-2019 – where while it was “raining money” all over Europe, we were holding an umbrella because of the 3rd memorandum and the ideological overtaxation they imposed – that the economists of SYRIZA would have come to their senses. Unfortunately, it seems that this is impossible despite the change of leadership and the alleged knowledge of the real economy that the new businessman leader claims to have”, he says and continues:

“It’s not just that the SYRIZA economic program – according to the costing of the GLK (General Accounting Office of the State) – is again throwing the economy on the rocks due to the exorbitant costs of 45.8 billion euros. Even if we assumed that this money exists and does not lead to a fiscal derailment – which obviously does not exist – the next problem is that they suggest once again the wrong “recipe” for the Greek economy”.

According to A. Scherzo, “two examples are enough to understand why the SYRIZA program prevents investments and encourages tax evasion. In the two most basic problems facing the Greek economy, the investment gap and fair taxation, the official opposition suggests that we go back again.

1st example: differentiated corporate income tax rates. 17% for businesses with a profit of up to 220,000 and 24% for businesses with a profit of more than 220,000.

Why do they recommend it? Because it makes them sound more pro-people in favor of businesses with smaller turnover and less profitability and supposedly tougher on bigger businesses.

Why is it wrong? Because in an economy that is unfortunately still characterized by a weak payment culture and tax awareness, they create the perfect incentive for businesses to declare less revenue and less profit to take advantage of the lower rate. In other words, at a time when the Greek economy is in need of growth, higher turnovers but also spending on investments, SYRIZA proposes a tax incentive that leads to under-declaration of income, tax evasion and tax avoidance, less income for the state.

2nd example: abolition of dividends and integration of their taxation into the scale of personal income taxation.

Why do they recommend it? Because also with the same financial and tax illiteracy that distinguishes them, they think that dividends are something that concerns only large companies and they have no idea that a higher taxation would also affect small and medium-sized companies.

Why is it wrong? Things are simple. Until 2019, when dividend taxation was at 10%, companies did not pay dividends because they considered the rate too high, with the result that the State’s income from dividends fluctuated annually at around 140 million euros. Since 2020, when dividend taxation was reduced to 5%, they have almost quadrupled and the State’s revenue has increased by more than 230 million euros. With SYRIZA’s proposal to place dividend taxation under the income tax scale, the cumulative tax rate of an entrepreneur will reach 49%!!!

In conclusion, “let Mr. Kasselakis tell us like the good businessman he says he is: if he had to choose a tax regime for his lobsters, he would choose the State of Florida with a 5.5% corporate tax rate or Greece with 49 % as his party suggests along with incorporating dividends? The truth is that he does not need to answer because we already know that he chose Florida instead of Greece with a rate of 22%+5%”.

“The wise people say, ‘No wise man sins twice.’ What should be the case for the “three sins”?”, asks the minister in closing.