The increase of international prices in natural gas, which is now five times higher than 2019, has made us all poorer, said the Deputy Minister of Finance, speaking to ANT1 and on the show “Morning Press”.
As Thodoros Skylakakis explained, regarding the support measures announced by the Government, the energy crisis and its consequences, “the people will pay for it anyway, now or in the future. The Greek economy will pay for it. The State takes There is no case for the State to pay and the taxpayer not to pay it.
As he stated, “the State is coming to reduce the burden by subsidizing the accounts. We are covering a large part of the burden, essentially sending the problem to the future.”
The Deputy Minister “What happened in January is a huge amount and it is unrealistic to say that there is little money. In February we will return, depending on the course of international prices. We will need a more permanent mechanism, but the “Prices have risen and fallen. In this phase of the great turmoil we must go step by step and in the future there will be a more permanent system.”
Asked if there could or would be a common line in the EU on the energy crisis, he said he did not see it as possible, as there are different energy strategies in the EU, such as France relying on nuclear energy, while Germany does not promote and depend on it. mostly from Russia.
Asked about the possibility of reducing the Special Consumption Tax on fuel, in order to decompress the prices at the gas stations’ pumps and the burden on the costs of services and production and distribution of goods, Mr. Skylakakis said that “the cost of the Special Consumption Tax on natural gas is 4 million, it is funny when we talk about 400 million aid in a month.The poorest Greeks, 1.5 million households, have no car.When you reduce the Excise Tax on gasoline you do not give anything to the poorest and you help those who have 2 and 3 cars ”
Regarding the support measures for companies that are affected, especially in catering, as well as for the possibility of their extension, Mr. Skylakakis said that “in December the electronic transactions were increased compared to 2019, with the catering being at +33 “In relation to 2019 in electronic transactions. We must measure this next month and we will make our decisions accordingly.”
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Source From: Capital
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