Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to the imposition of the 33% windfall tax on refinery super profits, explaining that “the country had the ability to impose an extraordinary tax on refinery profits for 2022 and 2023. Now that we have a clearer picture for this year, the Ministry of Finance made this decision, which I consider fair. It is an act of social justice. These revenues will support the budget and will be directed at Christmas to vulnerable groups, such as pensioners, especially those who did not see an increase due to the abolition of the personal difference.”
An initial estimate, as stated by Mr. Mitsotakis, is that the revenue from this contribution will be around 300 million euros.
Regarding the permanent reduction of VAT for taxis, he said that taxis should be an affordable means of transportation.
“I want to shift the discussion from high prices to price de-escalation. We performed better in terms of inflation, which is why I emphasized at the Ministry of Development on Wednesday that everyone, including supermarkets and businesses, must contribute.
On the situation in the Eurozone: Any crisis in the Eurozone does not leave us indifferent. However, it is satisfactory that the country’s efforts to manage its fiscal situation are being recognized. This is why I argued before the elections that we should not succumb to the sirens of easy benefits, as that would negate all our efforts. This crisis does not currently seem to be affecting the country’s borrowing costs.
Let me remind you that the president of SYRIZA has an open invitation from the Minister of Finance, which he has not responded to, to go to the parliamentary finance committee and compare SYRIZA’s economic program face-to-face with the Minister of Finance and the General Accounting Office.”
On the Lytras case: “We have made many changes to the Penal Code regarding domestic violence. Here, we were completely justified because we made a change that allows a doctor who finds evidence of domestic violence to appeal to the prosecutor without the victim’s confession.
Every day, arrests are made in our country with substantiated case files for domestic violence. Just at the Omonia Police Station, we had 216 arrests since the beginning of the year.
After the “gut punch” from the Kyriaki Griva case, we sought what needs to be done, and Mr. Floridis will present how we will be stricter in cases requiring pre-trial detention.
The panic button was a very important innovation and has saved lives.
We need the alliance of, first of all, the victims, to whom I take my hat off because it’s not easy to leave your abuser, but also of society, which knows but does not speak out.
Regarding freelancers and their taxation: The central philosophy of this policy decision will not change. No freelancer expects their income to be stable throughout their life. It was an intervention we had announced before the elections to tackle tax evasion. The data shows that we have achieved gradual compliance, which means we will be able to support healthcare and education.
If there are incremental improvements, such as family income, let’s consider them, but the central philosophy will not change.
About the reshuffle: The rationale is always the same. First of all, we evaluated the election result. I didn’t hide that we didn’t achieve our goal. There were citizens who consciously abstained and not out of inertia. They told us that we have issues to address, such as accuracy and healthcare. They told us, “We trust you with a caveat, make sure you run faster,” and personnel changes aim to allow a new minister to move faster without nullifying the work of their predecessors.
