By Gifts Antoniou

A peculiar intra -government tug -of -war is focused on the proposal of the Deputy Minister of Transport Konstantinou Kyranakis To subsidize the use of taxi on weekends by those who consume alcohol so that they do not lead to drunkenness.

‘This measure will not proceed’ It was the categorical response, yesterday, of government sources on the proposal of Kyranakis. It had been preceded by the relevant report by the government spokesman, Paul Marinakison Tuesday. “The Greek taxpayer will not obviously pay, no one will be subsidized, however, to drink,” He had stated by answering a question, conveying not his personal view obviously, but the central government line. However, Mr. Marinakis’ “ice” in the debate on the proposal did not seem to discourage Mr Kyranakis. The Deputy Minister of Transport returned yesterday insisting that ‘It’s a measure that can save lives’ to emphasize that “We will look at all the measures that can save lives.” In relation to his original proposal, when he had referred to a taxi subsidy depending on the budgetary margins, yesterday’s position was somewhat different. Thus, referring to the government spokesman’s statements that taxpayers are not going to pay to drink, Mr Kyranakis said he agreed that the taxpayer should not pay. But he added that a fund is planned to raise the revenue from digital calls. ‘The money of the offenders must go to road safety measures’, added, to report subsequently that This measure is one of those to be discussed.

It seems, however, that the central line of the government is, regardless of funding, the issue of closing here. Thus, government sources said it is not a matter of fund and where the measure could be funded simply “It won’t go ahead.” The direction is to prioritize other interventions, a network of policies related to the expansion of transport hours, information campaigns, increased controls for drivers offenders, etc., which was also mentioned by Mr Kyranakis.

The government saw that this particular proposal to fall on the table caused great reactions. Government officials agree that it sounds like the government to reinforce and reward alcohol consumptionsomething that has no positive impact on public opinion. Thus, through the government spokesman, the message is sent that it is a proposal that will not be adopted.

At the same time, the government obviously does not want to open a front and to clash with the taxi drivers, who heralded mobilizations so that this proposal would not proceed.

Finally, it seems that it was evaluated that it is not a strong motivation to subsidize taxi to leave the steering wheel of those who choose to drive, even if they have consumed a large amount of alcohol. “This is a matter of a mentality that needs to change and concerns driving behavior as a whole.” They report the same sources.