On the philosophy and content of the new tax reform, announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) and aimed mainly at the middle class and Greece’s demographic challenge, Finance and Economy Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis spoke to protothema.gr’s Direct and journalist Giorgos Evgenidis. He emphasized that it is the largest tax cut in Greece’s post-dictatorship era, amounting to €2.5 billion, and concerns all citizens.

Pierrakakis stressed that the government deliberately chose to present a “cohesive message” and a “targeted reform,” instead of scattered measures, so that the interventions’ impact is clear. While the reform does not entirely solve the demographic issue, it recognizes the scale of the problem and attempts to shift the system’s philosophy with measures supporting families and especially the middle class.

The minister explained that the €2.5 billion package constitutes “the largest single tax reduction in the post-junta period.” The changes will be reflected in salaries starting in January, as employees will see more money in their paychecks due to reduced withholding. “Taxation will fall for middle brackets per child, and then further after the fourth child,” he noted.

Responding to opposition criticism, Pierrakakis said, “I’ve heard everything and its opposite,” adding that alternative proposals must always be costed. “Otherwise, we return to yesterday’s recipes that bankrupted the country,” he remarked.

On the issue of tax presumptions, he noted that the new system applies to everyone, while ongoing digitization will significantly reduce the need for such mechanisms. “It’s healthier to do something for everyone under the same rules,” he stressed.

Regarding Greece’s broader economic course, he highlighted that the country now has the largest public investment program in its history. Thanks to political stability and early debt repayments, Greece will soon no longer be the most indebted country in Europe. “Our generation took the bill from the previous one — we must not pass it on to the next,” he said.

Pierrakakis also underlined that the demographic issue is not only about births but also about supporting young people, families, and the regions. “The entire effort is a puzzle that must help us address an existential issue,” he stated.

Finally, he referred to the need for stability and national consensus on key issues, regardless of government changes, citing the national high school diploma as an example. He concluded that “governing matters more to the people than just being elected.”