Staikouras rebukes proponents of consumption tax cuts
“Greece will have a primary deficit this year, as spending will again exceed revenue,” Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Thursday, “so voices calling for more support measures, such as cutting a special consumption tax on fuel, means that they support a higher fiscal deficit, higher interest rates and costs, measures that will lead to more burdens for households and enterprises in the medium term.”
Speaking in Parliament, the Greek finance minister noted that the government has proven that it intervenes in a timely fashion and generously to support vulnerable social groups.
“We proved it during the pandemic and during the energy crisis. Whenever there is fiscal space the state returns this to society and particularly to those on medium and low incomes,” he said, adding that during the energy crisis Greece offered twice the amount of money compared with the European average to support households and enterprises.
Staikouras said Greece was expecting a decision by the Eurogroup and the European Commission in two weeks’ time to end Greece’s enhanced surveillance status, helping the country to return to European normality.
