“Incomes will rise in 2025 more than prices, also due to deflation. So, in terms of disposable income, the gap with Europe will be reduced” said the deputy minister to the prime minister and government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, speaking earlier to R/S Parapolitika, among other things, referring to the forecasts of the 2025 budget.

In particular, regarding tax reductions, Mr. Marinakis insisted that “every intervention we make has two conditions. One is to reach the citizens, i.e. to have a positive effect on the world, and the second is for our budget to bear it.”

Regarding the purchase of an apartment by the Minister of Civil Protection and Climate Crisis, Vassilis Kikilia, the government representative underlined that “obviously if someone entering politics shows some money or some real estate, this, as you understand, cannot be criminalize, nor if a purchase and sale is according to the provisions of the law, can it also be criminalized. Since a politician, in this case a Minister, has the financial ability to make such a move and this move is justified, as he points out, by his previous financial situation, another – anyway – buying and selling, which he did, is obviously his right to do so.”

In detail, the deputy minister to the prime minister and government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, said:

For measures to increase disposable income

Our goal is to implement our program every year, as we will do in 2025, to get closer and closer to the European average in terms of disposable income. The 2025 Budget, as the first elements from its draft say, essentially what does it say? That we mean what we say. It has five main news items. The first is that Greece will grow for two consecutive years, and also in 2025, at rates greater than Europe. So both in this issue and in this section it will reduce the gap. Incomes will rise in 2025 more than prices, also due to deflation. So there too, in terms of disposable income, the gap with Europe will be reduced. Debt will decrease much more as a percentage of GDP. because, let’s not forget this, one of the main reasons we got to the point where the citizens were subjected to very harsh measures in the memorandum, is that our country was living – with bad choices made, through no fault of the citizens – far beyond the means her. A further twelve tax rates will be further reduced. And of course, the investments and the export-import balance will be positive and essentially more money will come.

For budget forecasts

The Mitsotakis government in the first four years reduced or abolished fifty tax rates and in the second four years it has already reduced important rates and in 2025 it will reduce another twelve tax rates. For example, the abolition of the pretension fee or zero health insurance tax for all children up to 18 years, for our minor fellow citizens, something very important for parents and many other fiscal interventions.

Every intervention we make has two conditions. One is to reach the citizens, i.e. to have a positive effect on the world, and the second is to be supported by our budget.

To strengthen the vulnerable

What we have already promised is the support of pensioners, who still have a part of personal difference. We have already said that child benefits and not only temporary, permanent, but also specific housing benefits, targeting families with children, will be increased. With the adjustment we are making to the benefits in general and to the unemployment benefit, those who are really entitled to them, those who really need them, will also see them increased. And, as you understand, there are also a number of our fellow citizens, those who are, let’s say, on the minimum guaranteed income, who also in this period before the holidays, as already announced by the D.ETH, will see a greater part in their payment. Be careful, what the prime minister says in the National Election Commission, are not announcements that are valid for a month. It is the description of our policy for the whole year. So, it goes without saying that their implementation is positive news in itself. But why is it filed in the first place? To be clear about what we want to do. Because all this goes through the medium-term program and now we are going through a period – fortunately I would say – when at the European level, not only at the Greek level, at the level of domestic policy, everything must be foreseen, costed and justified any proposal from the Opposition to a further expenditure from which other expenditure, which should be curtailed, will arise. What is the goal?

To increase citizens’ incomes

I fully realize that in recent years especially due to imported inflation, the cost of living has gone up. There is no doubt about it. So what are we trying to do and succeeding so far, knowing that the world still wants more and rightfully so. We want income increases to continue to be greater than price increases and now that prices seem to be gradually de-escalating, for example in the supermarket or in petrol we see that there is a de-escalation or in electricity we see that we have slowly returned to prices before the crisis, the world should feel more, understand more these increases. Because it is a matter that he did not understand them as much as we would like because of the accuracy. They need more.

We had said that we want the average salary to be 1,500 at the end of the four years. This means that obviously some fellow citizens will also have more benefits. Where did we receive it? We picked it up at 1,046. Where are they today? A little over 1,300 euros we estimate, it was 1,290 at the end of the previous year. What does this mean? It means that this government does what it says. They are not words of the wind. Because now we have been in government for over five years and we have to back up what we say with actions.

For the purchase of an apartment from the Minister of Civil Protection

The minister issued an announcement, which covers us based on the data he cites and, be that as it may, this is precisely why there is also the “where do you belong” – and why it seems that each of us enters in politics or in any other position of responsibility, in any case, obliges us to make an initial and annual statement “where do you come from” and, accordingly, the annual “where do you come from”, in which, obviously, every such purchase and sale, every such movement is described.

Obviously, if someone entering politics shows some money or some real estate, this, as you understand, cannot be criminalized, nor if a purchase and sale is according to the provisions of the law, it can also be criminalized. Since a politician, in this case a minister, has the financial ability to make such a move and this move is justified, as he points out, by his previous financial situation, another – anyway – buying and selling, which he did, is obviously his right to do so.

The job of every minister, every deputy minister is to carry out his portfolio and to improve the everyday life of the citizens. And, of course, to abide by the law first and foremost. That is, if this is true for each of our fellow citizens once, it must be true for us 10 and 100 times. Now, everyone makes their own choices. He manages his property as he wishes. It is something that, obviously, we demand first and foremost. We are all judged every day, as I have said many times, with the prime minister first and foremost. All this should be done, as the law provides, without shadows, to be declared in time, to be fully justified so that there is absolute accountability to the citizens.

On the absence of former ND presidents from the celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the New Democracy

I have a principle not to comment, choices, decisions, of former presidents and prime ministers. The day of the 4th of October was a day of honor for every New Democrat, who selflessly and even in very difficult years, when it was not so popular to be with the New Democracy, e.g. in the 80s, they continued to fight. We were there for them, the prime minister was there for them.

First of all, let’s say that in his speech and the whole ceremony of the event, the Prime Minister honored the people who led the New Democracy, as well as what we call the anonymous fighters. It is, if you do so, a comparison, I think you both have experience, if you compare the center-right parties of Europe with the New Democracy or second four-year governments with the current second four-year government, you will see, you will find that on the one hand the New Democracy , on the other hand, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the second four-year term, is the most solid New Democracy I can ever remember, in the first comparison and the most durable government, with the many problems it still has to face than in the past. Compare with second four-year governments.

For internal party procedures in the opposition

Let me say that every internal party process is a positive development. The participation of citizens, members of a party, can only be perceived as a good development by the government and by another party, such as New Democracy, in which I have the honor of being a member since I was a child.

There were certainly expectations for a larger turnout. They were not confirmed, but even this participation is worth mentioning.

From there, whether PASOK or another opposition party will be a reliable alternative will not be decided by an internal party process, but by the choices of the existing – if confidence is renewed – or of the new leadership if the another candidate in PASOK, from the next day, from Monday, that is, the day after that. For example, because people want answers, people are asking for solutions, and people, I think, after the many crises and a particularly toxic period we experienced in the previous years, I will not pull out the “tail” of any party, but guess who has the greater responsibility for this toxicity, those who fought, cursed, did, let’s not remember them. So, when the time comes for big decisions, important bills, such as the non-state universities, to which PASOK was against, or correspondingly subsequent big bills, such as the postal vote, big decisions for the citizens, the expansion of the Recovery Fund, which PASOK had not voted for a few months ago, and concerns preventive examinations, renovations of hospitals, health centers, there, therefore, in this way we will see if we have a serious alternative for the place. And at the end of the day, whether or not there will be decay for the government when the time comes for the parliamentary elections in 2027, for me one phrase has value: We are currently judged by our result. If we put into practice what we told the citizens when we were re-elected in 2023 and have a record of consistency and effectiveness, then we have nothing to fear.

From there, the opposition will come up with an alternative proposal. She will also be evaluated. But it will be assessed point by point, neither with slogans nor with the reproduction of political discourse that harkens back to previous decades.