Minister defends provenance of higher revenues
Deputy Economy and Finance Minister Haris Theocharis dismissed the opposition’s claims that the rise in revenues is attributed to indirect taxes as a “big myth,” during the discussion of the draft law of the state budget for 2024 at the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday.
He added that the higher revenues of 2023 are mainly from direct taxes.
“It is the first time we have surplus revenues of 2.4 billion euros from individuals’ income tax. We have €7.1 billion in total revenues, a historic record in business taxes, and the €2.4 billion derive from the increased taxation revenues. And, of course, from the measures against tax evasion, which are already bringing results,” the minister told the committee.
Theocharis noted that the increase of tax revenues in 2024 is expected to reach 2.6% against the GDP’s rise of 3%. Therefore, he underlined, revenues do not derive from a rise in tax rates and taxes themselves, but from the reduction of unemployment, which is assessed at 10.6% on average in 2024.
