The president of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, launched an attack on the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for the government’s interventions to deal with the energy crisis, emphasizing that his concern is not to over-tax the profits of individuals.
He noted that the “antidote” to the government is “to withdraw some money from the public treasury to subsidize the notoriety and to give insufficient aid to the consumer in the huge increases that have been recorded in the tariffs.”
“Your main thought is not to intervene in the internal market and not to touch the skyrocketing profits of the power generating companies, including PPC, which you rushed to privatize in the midst of an energy crisis. While we are in unprecedented conditions of accuracy, the thought is not to disturb the profits of the new shareholders of PPC or its price on the stock exchange board. An outdated logic, effective and dangerous for a period of crisis. “Do not over-tax the super-profits of a few individuals”, he stated characteristically.
At the beginning of his speech, Alexis Tsipras stated that initially his main emotion was anxiety and now it is the fear of what is to come. “You still do not understand where we are and where we are as a country. “What has happened since September in Greek households and businesses and you do not realize what will happen in the coming months when the energy crisis will worsen due to the war,” he said.
“You feel like you do not understand what is happening in society, especially for those who are dependent on their salary or the meager income of their business. During the very cold winter months, they can not turn on their radiators to keep warm, because their salary ends on the 19th day of the month, according to research.
My anxiety becomes fear and despair when I know when the worst is yet to come. Go with the norms, the thoughts of liberal orthodoxy. The crisis is not being tackled with a little more than the public treasury. The crisis can be cured with a different policy model. “It’s not a matter of fiscal stability.”
Earnings of 1.4 billion euros in the eight months for power companies
Regarding the initiative announced earlier by the Prime Minister for an extraordinary contribution to companies that record super-profits, he noted: “You told us that those who have super-profits should deposit a share. Voluntarily; Do not you legislate? Aren’t you a governor? Haven’t you seen these for so many months? Why have you left intact this mechanism of scandal of power generating companies, among which PPC has the lion’s share? Why do not you block the profits either with a ceiling or with taxation. You told us you did not do the exercise. Based on the data we have at our disposal from July 2021 to February 2022, the average production cost in natural gas units was 153 euros per megawatt hour. The average price of the stock market was 202 euros and has recently skyrocketed. There were days that reached 300 and 350 euros per megawatt hour “.
In this context, he explained that the power companies in the eight months had a surplus of 49 euros per megawatt hour. “Last year, the corresponding profit was 2-3 euros and now it has gone to 50 euros. These 49 euros create a super profit in the eight months of 1.7 billion euros. “If we subtract the discounts, the dizzying amount of 1.4 billion euros results and you give 600 million euros to subsidize the notoriety and you talk to us about money trees and where you will find the money to give to households”, underlined his president SYRIZA.
“Society is groaning. Of these 1.4 billion euros in PPC of the goldenboys who want to make CVs on the backs of the Greek consumer and taxpayer, 1 billion euros corresponds to PPC and the rest is shared by the other 3 private companies. So I ask you. What are you waiting for to get these profits back? “Should the top council meet next Thursday where you are making fun of the Greek people for asking for a ceiling?” He pointed out.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
