The PM’s speech at the Hellenic-American Chamber of Samaras: We fight for the poor and middle class

He launched an attack on the opposition that is “betting on the country’s failure”

"We fight for the full protection of the unemployed, the poor and small-medium strata to have healthy banking faith that not only benefits the banks but citizens too," Premier Antonis Samaras said at the annual conference of the American-Hellenic Chamber on "The time of the Greek economy."

Referring to the property tax Samaras said "it will be taxed uniformly. The total amount will remain at the level of 2013, but by widening the tax base and relieving the 75% of households."


He appeared optimistic about the course of the Greek economy, saying that "the worst is over and the next year will be a year of recovery for the Greek economy. For the first time this year we will meet our needs and will not borrow, and this is the primary surplus. So far we have avoided bankruptcy refuting those who awaited it. The price was hard for the country as it lost 25% of its GDP, living standards fell by 40%, unemployment jumped to 27.5% and for the young at 60%. But we stayed in the euro. an exit would have meant a complete collapse of the economy and society, lack of basic goods, fuel and medicines. The worst is over, the economy is stabilizing, the spreads are falling."


The PM said that development means investment, openness, competitiveness and reduction of taxation and attacked the opposition for the overall strategy accusing it for betting on the destruction of the country. "Development means investing and they are fighting the investments but their promiscuity will end." He added "the best way to get out of the Memorandum is to draw primary surpluses. Some fear that the recovery will begin next year while the primary surplus that will be confirmed in April will allow the correction of some wrongdoing by starting with the low pensioners and the uniformed. The development will help deal with the issue of debt sustainability."

 
He also referred to taxation saying "my goal is to have a single tax rate of 15%. We will also reduce the VAT and tax evasion. Today we are discussing the next day, our development and how we will achieve it. There are no excesses over and above the political parties in the race for development, we want everybody but we will not allow anyone to keep Greece stuck in the past."