In the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Parliamentary Group meeting of New Democracy took place to elect a new secretary for the Parliamentary Group, following the sudden death of Apostolos Vesyropoulos. The Prime Minister proposed New Democracy MP for Larissa, Maximos Charakopoulos, for the position of Secretary. During his address, he referred to the measures he announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair and the government’s work so far.
Mitsotakis considers further tax cuts on rental income
The Prime Minister left open the possibility of examining further reductions in rental income taxation from next year. The Prime Minister noted that the tax reduction, as citizens will see it from January 2026, is equivalent to a real salary increase. “This is the best answer to those who propose supplementary measures, such as VAT reduction or a 13th salary in the public sector. It’s an opportunity today in public discourse to clarify some simple facts. The fiscal space that the government had at its disposal has been exhausted with the interventions I announced. Anything beyond this would lead to complications. The space we have available is limited. We have fiscal space and it is a success of our economic policy,” the Prime Minister emphasized, noting that for example in France they are reducing benefits and increasing taxes.
He added: “The space we have to allocate is specific. Anything beyond puts us in jeopardy. This coalition will never again endanger the country’s fiscal stability. If someone has other measures to propose, let them vote against these and say how they would allocate this space. When some claim that the solution to high prices is VAT reduction, I ask them to speak with the Bank of Greece, to see examples from other VAT reductions both in Greece and Spain. We must boldly defend our own choices that directly support citizens’ disposable income. Nominal wages have increased and real wages are increasing with government interventions.” He emphasized that: “The more we engage in dialogue with the opposition, the more it becomes apparent that the problem running through the political scene is that we have many parties but no substantial counter-proposals.”
The Prime Minister mentioned that in 2025, 63 bills were passed. “The path forward will be shown by 5 important economic and social choices I announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair. First, practical support for the middle class, families, young people, and the Greek regions. We provide this support through tax reductions as a bulwark against international inflation. The third priority is the continuous implementation of landmark reforms. The fourth continuous priority is establishing a sense of legality and security everywhere. It’s worth repeating that under New Democracy governance, the next academic year will begin without any active occupation in any public university in the country. Our fifth compass is building a strong Greece,” Mr. Mitsotakis emphasized.
Tax relief for 4 million citizens
“All these choices are directions that identify with New Democracy’s ideological and political identity. We are the party of the many when we promote tax relief affecting 4 million of our fellow citizens. We are also the party of the young. When no young person up to 25 years old with income up to 20,000 euros will pay income tax,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized during the New Democracy Parliamentary Group meeting, noting that just under 300,000 people will benefit from these regulations.
The Prime Minister said the government implemented a bold tax reform that sends a message to the new generation to enter the job market earlier. He also said that New Democracy is the party close to Greek families and mentioned measures concerning families with three or more children, while also discussing changes to tax brackets. “We are the party that stands by the Greek territory,” he emphasized, referring to cases where property tax will be eliminated within two years and reduced VAT on border islands. “We are the party that stands by pensioners who see their benefits steadily increasing. Of these, 670,000 within the next two years are finally freed from personal differences. We are the party that stands by the most vulnerable pensioners with the extraordinary allowance of 250 euros which acquires permanent characteristics, just as one rent per year will be returned to tenants,” he added.
Maximos Charakopoulos elected new Parliamentary Group Secretary
At the beginning of the meeting, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “When last April we elected Apostolos as Parliamentary Group secretary, no one could imagine that the thread of his life would be cut. His example will always show the way for those who follow.” The Prime Minister emphasized that his proposal for the new Parliamentary Group secretary position is Maximos Charakopoulos. “He is a calm voice. He has traveled many miles in the party, in Parliament, and in government positions. Maximos, I wish you good strength in your new duties.”
“The antidote to the surplus of populism is promoting our own proposals”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis then mentioned that the irrational “no” to everything, in practice becomes “yes” to nothing. “Where someone proposed patriotic taxes, we implement patriotic tax exemptions. We presented a comprehensive plan for major tax reform, properly costed,” he emphasized and added: “The antidote to this surplus of populism is nothing other than promoting our own proposals and reminding of our overall work.”
The Prime Minister asked New Democracy MPs to remind that “during our tenure, 500,000 new jobs were created and 83 taxes were reduced, we implemented the digital work card, gov.gr became reality, artificial intelligence tools uncover tax evasion, 93 hospitals and 163 health centers are being upgraded.” Mr. Mitsotakis recalled, among other things, the great recognition from citizens for the effort with preventive examinations. “This coalition cares for and looks after every Greek man and woman regardless of where they are located,” he said, while also discussing school renovations through the “Marietta Giannakou” program.
“We secured additional funding from the Union of Greek Banks to reconstruct 2,000 schools,” he noted and added that the first 4 non-state universities will finally operate in Greece, while also discussing interventions in transportation. “All these are small victories, some perhaps larger. They make the country and citizens’ lives better,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Mitsotakis then spoke about Maritime Spatial Planning, Marine Parks and the great national success he said is Chevron’s interest. “A development that absolutely justifies Greek sovereign rights based on maritime law,” he emphasized. “Let’s remember where we are and where we want to go in the next 20 months. It’s a long time or short for someone to hit the brakes. We have a heavy reform agenda that we are unfolding. Our obligation is to overcome even our own bad self which sometimes I feel can become the biggest opponent when encountering state pathologies. The OPEKEPE example is characteristic. It’s our obligation to address it. We desire absolute transparency and truth and addressing chronic pathologies from the past. Essentially in motion to transform the organization, integrate it into the new Independent Authority for Public Revenue, continue making payments safely while simultaneously strengthening authorities tasked with identifying perpetrators and returning illegal subsidies. Very serious work has been done. 1036 tax numbers received almost 23 million euros. The audit continues. Through our own actions long before the European Public Prosecutor’s Office became involved, Greek justice has dealt with and is dealing with this,” he emphasized.
Mr. Mitsotakis noted that society can forgive a mistake but not arrogance and hubris. The Prime Minister asked for dynamic outreach to the regions and said he emphasizes local development plans. “We must have a sense that when we go to the 2027 elections, citizens should see visible results in the regions. It’s our duty to listen and understand citizens when they talk about the problem of accumulated high prices. To describe the interventions we make. For example, in September we had significant de-escalation in electricity bills. As wholesale prices decrease, I demand from retail that citizens feel the reductions. It’s important from now until January when citizens will see tax reductions, to explain how reduced taxes translate into disposable income,” he noted.
“Inflation is retreating and will retreat further. Permanent increases in wages and pensions have come to stay. We will have as our ally our party, pre-congress procedures, internal party elections for new member registration, our congress in spring 2026, and it will be the last major party event before the 2027 elections. Let’s all move together in this great effort that has paid off in the past. We implemented Constantine Karamanlis’s proclamation that goes beyond the labels of center, right, left. That’s why we reached these percentages. Great victories come when through hard work we can improve citizens’ lives. We can be optimistic about the battles ahead of us,” he emphasized. Mr. Mitsotakis added that “we must be ready for attacks that will question the normalcy and certainty that Greece has today, whether these come from populism trying to set up conspiracy scenarios with fake news, or stem from interests and media that would like weak governments to strengthen their own pressures.”
