SYRIZA MP on price increases: Government measures are a drop in the ocean

“The government has as of late discovered the issue of high prices, which we have raised for a year now with continuous parliamentary interventions,” Messinia MP and SYRIZA Development and Investment Minister Alexis Haritsis told Real fm 97.8. He accused the government of “going blind and moving without a plan, while still insisting on the transience of the phenomenon”, recalling that “in the budget for 2022 it did not include any protective measures against high prices and now runs after developments”.

He added: “If we take into account that just the day before yesterday Eurostat announced that Greek inflation now exceeds the European average, while ELSTAT data show a 30% increase in production costs for December and January closed with Greece having the highest wholesale electricity price in Europe, we understand that the crisis will become even worse in the near future “.

“At a time when a suffocating framework is being formed for households and businesses, the government’s measures are a drop in the ocean,” the SYRIZA sector chief continued. “Instead of harnessing the momentum of fiscal easing for interventions that will protect society and support the economy, the government is reducing tax burdens on large real estate and large companies, depriving them of the necessary interventions in favor of the social majority.”

Mr. Haritsis contrasted SYRIZA’s proposals for “a comprehensive program to reduce energy costs for households and businesses”, “reduction of VAT on energy products”, “reduction of VAT on food”. “Rising prices are also the result of speculation,” he said, noting that “instead of intervening decisively to regulate the market, the government has allowed uncontrolled oligopolistic interests to speculate and proceeded with further privatizations of PPC and networks.”

At the same time, he stressed the need to “cut the pandemic’s private debt” and “support the disposable income of citizens by raising the minimum wage to 800 euros, as Spain and France have done and Germany is planning.”

“All these are measures that must be implemented today. “Every day that passes costs the Greek society and the economy”, concluded Al. Haritsis.