Tsipras announces permanent anti-austerity measures at Zappeion Megaron

Ο πρωθυπουργός Αλέξης Τσίπρας (Κ), με τον υπουργό Οικονομικών Ευκλείδη Τσακαλώτο (Δ), και τον αντιπρόεδρο της Κυβέρνησης και υπουργό Οικονομίας και Ανάπτυξης, Γιάννη Δραγασάκη (Α), μιλούν κατά τη διάρκεια της παρουσίασης στο Ζάππειο Μέγαρο σε συνέντευξη τύπου της δέσμης θετικών μέτρων στο πλαίσιο της νέας οικονομικής πολιτικής που ήδη έχει προαναγγείλει, Τρίτη 7 Μαΐου 2019. ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, ΓΡΑΦΕΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΠΡΩΘΥΠΟΥΡΓΟΥ, Andrea Bonetti




A package of state counter-measures to relieve taxpayers were presented on Tuesday evening at Zappeion Megaron by the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his finance team.

  • Before providing more details, Tsipras said a large part of Greek society has endured a disproportionate burden in the years of the financial crisis, as the country came out of a very tough adjustment period of eight years and is now ready to see some results.

Greeks, he said, who endured this difficult time, will now “taste the fruits of their sacrifices.”

  • These measures, designed to “support the social majority,” as Tsipsas said, are divided into two categories – measures that will be legislated and implemented in the rest of 2019 and those to be implemented in 2020 and be later legislated. The latter will be included in the 2020 budget anyway.

“All measures will be permanent, not temporary,” Tsipras underlined.

There is a margin of liquidity of at least 31 billion euros in the state coffers, said the Greek premier, and added that after four years in power, SYRIZA has managed to create this reservoir on top of Greece’s ability to borrow at the cheapest interest rates it now enjoys. He explained that about half of this liquidity reserve is the so-called European Stability Mechanism (ESM) security ‘pillow’, while the rest comes from revenues from the implementaton of austerity cuts, “the burden of the Greek people during the crisis.”

Some 3.6 billion euros of this reserve will go towards early repayment of one of Greece’s ‘strictest lenders’, as Tsipras called the International Monetary Fund, thus saving millions of euros annually in interest rates.
Another 11.5 billion euros will be used for Greece’s final exit from the crisis, and said that some 5.5 billion euros from this amount will be put into a special account in the next few days, equivalent to 3% of GDP, as collateral against Greece’s lenders over the next three years, 2020-2023.

  • The 11.5 billion “will be our guarantee they (the creditors) will get the money that corresponds to the level of primary surpluses that we have agreed will be reached by 2022, i.e. the annual 3.5%,” he added.

The funds in this special account will give Greece an annual 1% of GDP flexibility margin so as to continue targetting a visible 3.5% annual primary surpplus rate, “thus staying within all that we have agreed with our creditors,” Tsipras said, “but allow us to plan, economically, for years 2020-2023 under a 2.5 primary surplus percentage,” he added.

Specifically, the measures to be implemented as of 2019 include the provision of a permanent 13th pension at a cost of 800 million euros, a reduction of VAT from 13% to 11% in general goods and services, tax cuts for island residents and further reduction of heating costs in mountainous areas.

  • Also importantly, VAT on all foods is cut from 24% to 13%, excepting alcohol and other drinks, at a cost of 260 million euros, while VAT on electricity and natural gas is cut down from 13% to 6%.

In 2020, Alexis Tsipras said, the total value of the package of measures is about 1.3 billion euros, and includes a furter reduction VAT in goods and services from 13% down to 11%.

  • Tsipras also said that in 2020 the reduction of the so-called Solidarity Fee tax on annual incomes will be reduced by up to three precentage points for annual incomes up to 30,000 euros, and down to zero percent for incomes under 20,000.

“We ask for the Greek people’s confidence vote on the May 26 European elections, on the new positive measures we announced today,” said the Greek PM, “and the people’s approval on the October 2019 national elections so that we can fully implement them,” referring to the national elections at the end of his government’s term.

FinMinTsakalotos: Mitsotakis has nothing to offer the middle class

The Greek middle class has nothing to expect from the economic policies of main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Tuesday, at the presentation of the new anti-austerity cuts by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Tsakalotos added that Greeks have nothing to expect from Mitsotakis “in the same way the British had nothing to expect from (British Prime Minister Theresa) May or the conservative party leaders in France and Spain.”

Source: ANA-MPA

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