“The €1.5 billion that Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has announced is certain,” emphasized Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, not ruling out positive announcements in the coming months if the economy continues to perform well, as he characteristically put it. Mr. Marinakis described the economic package for the Thessaloniki International Fair as being finalized until the last moment when asked about it in his interview on SKAI television station.
“In a period when there is a high cost of living, a government must take permanent measures to increase disposable income. This involves tax cuts, but also support for single-parent families, families with one and two children, and families with three or more children. The money from the good performance of the Greek economy must go to the middle class in the form of permanent measures and tax reliefs,” noted Pavlos Marinakis and confirmed that changes to income tax rates for the average Greek family are on the table.
Pavlos Marinakis on scenarios regarding the return of 13th and 14th salaries and 13th and 14th pensions
The government spokesperson insisted that the middle class, pensioners, the younger generation, and those renting homes need support, emphasizing that “whatever decisions are made for pensioners will have a permanent character and a logic of expanding beneficiaries,” while simultaneously confirming that interventions are being examined for all those still burdened with personal tax differences. Responding to a question about whether scenarios for the return of 13th and 14th salaries and 13th and 14th pensions are valid, Mr. Marinakis emphasized that such an intervention would cost €8 billion and preferred measures with a more horizontal logic. Regarding housing, the government spokesperson stated that measures are being examined that would bring more homes to the market and corresponding support for all those who are renting.
Regarding the significant diplomatic processes around the Ukrainian issue, Mr. Marinakis emphasized among other things that “the Greek government considers it positive that there is any movement. We must emphasize the need for an immediate ceasefire and it is also positive that both the US and European states are willing to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. In any case, Greece is a country that respects International Law and will never water down its position regarding the inviolability of borders. All those within the borders who criticize our country’s stance toward the war in Ukraine have a hypocritical attitude – you cannot differentiate between invasions. Greece has suffered and has historically faced the rhetoric of revisionism, it could not adopt a different position.” Moreover, when asked about it, the government spokesperson clarified that “there is no possibility at this moment of sending Greek troops to Ukraine nor is anything like that planned for the future. In any case, it is too early to talk about something like that.”
When asked about the possibility of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras creating a new party, Mr. Marinakis noted the following: “There is an attempt by some to politically whitewash Mr. Tsipras. During his tenure, the country fell into international disrepute and an environment of economic isolation, his government was the worst period for institutions with two of his ministers definitively convicted, his government was the joy of every arsonist, every rapist and every criminal because of the changes he brought to the Penal Code, he governed with the extreme Right and caused the fall of the then government with Golden Dawn’s votes.”
