N. Androulakis: We are fighting the battle of the concrete and the obvious

Opening the PASOK – Movement for Change press conference on dealing with the increased cost of living due to energy price increases, increased inflation and high housing costs, the President of PASOK – Movement for Change Nikos Androulakis described the Movement’s different ideological approach to dealing with widened social inequalities.

“We are in the middle of summer and a large part of the Greek people feel like strangers in their own country, since the economic conditions do not allow them to organize even a few days’ vacations,” noted Mr. Androulakis. “Our country has the 5th highest inflation in the Eurozone, 12%. 3.4 units above the average. Relative to incomes, we have the most expensive gasoline as for 60 liters Greeks spend 5.58% of their salary, the highest rate among all OECD countries. Electricity prices remain high. The government scrapped the readjustment clause, incorporating the surcharges into kilowatt-hour prices. Not even a week after this new system came into effect, the government is breaking the law that she herself proposed and voted for,” noted Mr. Androulakis.

The President of PASOK-Movement for Change insisted that although the VAT is overperforming and the Government collects more than 1 billion euros, “he refuses to reduce indirect taxes on essential goods and fuel to give citizens a breather. After proceeding with the second largest fiscal expansion during the pandemic, which however did not bring the same results as in other countries, as we recovered the lost GDP later than the majority of European states. After reducing tax burdens on large real estate, even exceeding the budgeted reduction. After reducing the dividend tax and increased the tax-free parental benefits to the outrageous amount of 4.8 million euros per beneficiary, suddenly Mr. Mitsotakis’ money tree dried up. Obviously at his own fiscal responsibility.”

The PASOK-Movement for Change insists on the need to adopt the imposition of a ceiling on the retail price of electricity, the reduction of VAT on basic goods and the reduction of taxation on fuel for some time. With regard to the social housing program, with funding from the Recovery Fund, it is proposed to utilize public properties to create a stock of social housing to be rented at a cheap price by young couples and the financially vulnerable, as well as the provision of tax incentives for private individuals to dispose of the properties them in the social housing program.

At the same time, the adoption of rules and principles for short-term leases is required. “What we are proposing is similar to what New Democracy and SYRIZA are saying? Let’s start with the government. The main tool of economic and social policy is the tax system. What are New Democracy’s priorities? After 10 years of an incredible fiscal adventure with tragic moments for the Greek people, Mr. Mitsotakis comes and continues the dividend tax reduction that Mr. Tsipras started. And he adds from the TIF platform the policy for large real estate and parental benefits. It favors someone from the middle class? To raise the limit from 900,000 euros to 400,000 euros, let me understand it. What does it serve to reach 4.2 million? So here we are talking about other priorities and a completely different strategy regarding the economic development of the country and the social priorities. In the hands of Mr. Tsipras, on the other hand, after 2015 the bomb concerning the rapid increase in rents for of the short-term rental and the golden visa. What did he do; Zero found the social housing stock, zero left it. Instead of Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Tsipras learning the lessons of the tragic consequences that the economic crisis had on the Greek people, they continue the same culture. Many words without content and strategic customer choices that increase costs for the Greek people without respecting their taxes and favoring specific interests”.

Asked to comment on the Government’s higher education bill and the comments of SYRIZA MP Christoforos Bernardakis against Niki Kerameos, Mr. Androulakis noted:

“We directly condemn anything that sows discord, hatred and the discrediting of political speech. The way SYRIZA officials are opposing is a weapon in the hands of the government. We need another opposition, which will raise the issues in a realistic way and resolve them with progressive sign. This is our anxiety and our effort, our faction to be a credible opposition to a government whose strategic choices and the bill you mentioned are for the benefit of the few. The bill that the New Democracy tabled changes once again the way universities are managed. It essentially short-circuits the administration in universities and at the same time does not strengthen their public character and the ability to provide higher level services to the children of the Greek people, that is why we have a negative position towards the legislative initiative of Mrs. Kerameos. We have submitted our proposals. Even the clauses of the academy and mobility, which we had put in place in order to break the familial establishments in the universities, Mrs. Kerameos removes them favoring these establishments to develop anew”. In the Press Conference granted by PASOK-Movement for Change with the central theme of the increased cost of living (energy-inflation-social housing), the Secretary of the Energy Sector of the party Haris Doukas pointed out that “our country is listed as the third most expensive in Europe for electricity along with Italy and Malta. We are the second most expensive country at the pump, while Finland is first.”

In the proposal presented by Mr. Doukas highlighted the great importance of strengthening and operating Renewable Energy Sources in our country so that Greece is not a transit center but a large electrical avenue that will join Bavaria and provide energy to most of Europe.

THE Philip Sachinides, member of the Political Council of PASOK – Movement for Change and former Minister underlined that “Greece is a champion in inflation and only the Baltic countries and Slovakia overtake us due to proximity to the war in Ukraine”. He then presented the proposals of PASOK-Movement for Change to curb inflation and accuracy, stressing that “we must proceed with the reduction of taxes and the increase of the minimum wage to 751 euros as the Government exempts those with income from the capital and burdens those have incomes from work resulting in an increase in income inequalities”.

In his intervention, Mr. Ilias Kikilias Economic Affairs Advisor of PASOK-Movement of Change after underlining that “for our party access to housing is a fundamental social right”, he presented specific proposals for the strengthening of social housing. In particular, Mr. Kikilias argued that “European resources should be utilized for the utilization of houses that are scattered in the cities and given with social criteria. Universities should have the responsibility and care to build the student roofs themselves. Also, to we provide incentives to owners so that their properties are rented at affordable prices and do not remain unused, and finally rules and principles for short-term leases are adopted. For PASOK – Movement for Change, housing is not a necessity, but a fundamental social right.”