“It is not a horizontal bill, a horizontal intervention” but “the target is 3 billion euros, from the fight against tax evasion and this is an intervention of 500-600 million euros”, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said on the tax bill regarding freelancers, speaking on ERT's main broadcast.
He stressed that it is not a horizontal measure because “this intervention starts from an assumption. It is not possible for 50% of freelancers to declare losses and 71% to declare below the minimum wage.”.
Marinakis clarified that “not everyone in 71% is a tax evader. Nor in the remaining 29%, it means that nobody is a tax evader and added:
“The horizontal approach, the «bagging», away from us. We have shown it, we have cut more than 50 taxes. We are not raising the tax rate. Why isn't it horizontal? Because within that 71%, to call a spade a spade, there is a business owner, many not one, who employs ten workers and they are paid minimum wage and the owner himself declares income below his workers. This cannot continue.”.
The government spokesman said that the government is not concerned with the developments in SYRIZA, while for today's debate in Parliament, he noted that “we saw once again the same scene: the Prime Minister and the government in a very difficult issue, the largest, the most intense natural phenomenon that has been recorded in Europe, as experts say, to present what he is doing: Funding, new schools, construction of the projects that need to be restored, a series of initiatives for cameras, for drones, and an opposition following the tactics of nihilism and sterile denial.”.
Finally, referring to the Prime Minister's statements, Mr.Marinakis said that the Prime Minister responded to Mr.Kasselakis' statements on social media, and added:
”We have an opposition that nullifies everything, says no to everything and at the end of the day has no counter-proposal. Obviously, the Greek citizens are experiencing a difficult reality of imported crises, first and foremost an imported problem.”
In detail the interview of the Government Spokesman Pavlos Marinakis on ERT's Central News bulletin with journalist George Kouvaras.
JOURNALIST: Let us welcome the government spokesman, Mr.Marinakis. Mr. Marinakis, you are no longer the Secretary of the New Democracy as of the day before yesterday.
P.MARINAKIS: A very important cycle has closed with the opportunity given to me by the Prime Minister, another very important one has opened, a great responsibility.
JOURNALIST: From this position I want to ask you. We heard the Prime Minister in Parliament call the opposition party «black Friday» minus 50% because of the absence of a large number of MPs. Is it a matter of debate for the government and is the internal affairs of Syriza a matter for the government? Why and since when?;
Π. MARINAKIS: For the government, the internal affairs of SYRIZA are not an issue, so that was the Prime Minister's response in his second speech, because we saw once again the same scene: the Prime Minister and the government in a very difficult issue, the biggest, the most intense natural phenomenon that has been recorded in Europe, as the experts say, to present what he is doing: Funding, new schools, construction of the projects that need to be restored, a series of initiatives for cameras, for drones, not to bore the viewers with a series of initiatives. And an opposition to follow the tactics of nihilism and sterile denial.
JOURNALIST: Yes, but here I see Mr.Kasselakis, who has now posted on his twitter account here, «Today in Parliament Kyriakos Mitsotakis told us that we are in danger of becoming a «black Friday» party minus 50%. I would laugh at his black humour if the daily life he created for the citizens wasn't so black» and he posts a video afterwards.
P. We have an opposition that nullifies everything, says no to everything and at the end of the day has no counter-proposal. Obviously, the Greek citizens are experiencing a difficult reality of imported crises, the first and foremost being an imported problem. We are not saying that the problems do not exist. What is our difference? We see the problems and we try to solve them in the best possible way. What have you heard from the opposition today? Any specific counter-proposal? They don't like cameras, they don't like drones? They don't like the extra staff? They don't think it's the right way to fund these people, the compensation that's being given?;
We didn't hear anything. Have you heard anything specific, actually? No.
JOURNALIST: I will not tell you what happened today in the Parliament, but I will tell you what happened today in the centre of Athens. Protests over the tax bill. In fact, Mr. Kasselakis was in one of them, and it seems that this horizontal measure of taxing freelancers brings you into conflict with representatives of the middle class, whose representatives you appeared to be the protectors and main spokesmen. And I want you to tell me if this really bothers you. Or is the fact that there is no strong opposition enough for you.
P. MARINAKIS: It's the last thing on viewers’ minds right now. Without underestimating the institutional role of Mr. Kasselakis, I think more important are the problems. Mr. Kasselakis talked about the housewives, but if he really wants to talk about them, we'll talk about them....
JOURNALIST: I'll come to the householders next. I want to talk about taxation.
MARINAKIS: I think it's a very important issue, to tell it like it is. I'm a freelancer myself, and the last thing that I and the Prime Minister want to see is the bagging of freelancers. This is not a horizontal Bill, a horizontal intervention. First of all, this Bill has many other initiatives, very important ones. On the transfer of real estate, on linking cash registers to POS, on how to punish the use of cash...
JOURNALIST: But here we are interested in what people disagree about.
MARINAKIS: ... So let's get to that part of it. But why am I stressing the rest? Because the target is EUR 3 billion, from the fight against tax evasion, and this is a significant intervention of EUR 500-600 million. Why is it not horizontal? This intervention starts from an assumption. It is not possible that 50% of freelancers declare losses and 71% declare below the minimum wage.
JOURNALIST: Some people are shouting and you understand why they are shouting and the question is will you make bold changes?;
MARINAKIS: First of all, let's say that in 71% not everybody is a tax evader. Nor in the remaining 29%, it means that nobody is a tax evader. The horizontal treatment, the bagging, away from us. We have shown it, we have cut more than 50 taxes. We are not raising the tax rate. Why isn't it horizontal? Because within that 71%, to call a spade a spade, there is a business owner, many not one, who employs ten workers and they are paid minimum wage and the owner himself declares income below his workers. This cannot continue. In this 71%, however, there is a new lawyer, a new engineer, a new doctor, who is exempt for three years, and up to five years he has a significant deduction. A freelancer, and it's important to say this, working for up to two employers, on a block contract. Now let's go to what we do. We respect public consultation, in all bills. And the serious proposals from the scientific bodies, from the citizens, from the other parties, not the shouting, the serious proposals, we will consider them very seriously in our turn.
JOURNALIST: And if you look at them and adopt some of them, how will you find the 600 million that you have estimated from that?;
MARINAKIS: What we're going to look at, what is it? Point interventions, not a change in the philosophy of the Bill, so as not to disadvantage someone who, while below this threshold that we've set, which I think is very reasonable. Barring significant exceptions, under the fighter, which we'll see who else can get in, that's the discussion. Who else can get in.
JOURNALIST: So what changes do you intend to make? Because part of the public consultation is the demonstrations.
MARINAKIS: In any case, we are listening to the demands of these people. Again, I'm one of the freelancers. Because you also heard the comparison with the Katrougalos Law, which I woke up one morning in 2016, and an Insurance Law came, within quotes, which taxed 32%. We despise taxes and have proven it in practice.
JOURNALIST: Yes, but it's a tax too.
MARINAKIS: No, it's not a tax rate increase. It's a fairer tax system. Again, it's not horizontal, because there are significant exemptions and obviously there will be interventions.
We also have the 50% reduction in the business tax and 25% for the rest of us and I say it again. This whole discussion for us is very important. It matters that people see the writing on the wall. When a Prime Minister has cut more than 50 taxes, a number of injustices have come in and he is gradually redressing them, because that is the right thing to do, that is the course we will continue on.
JOURNALIST: Let's move on to something else now. The housewives that Mr. Kasselakis wants to address now are the bulk of your electoral base. Despite the internal party problems and despite all the things you say about Mr. Kasselakis, does Mr. Kasselakis turn out to be a difficult opponent for the Southwest, because he strikes at your electoral base? You saw that in SYRIZA, as soon as he talked about housewives, they got angry.
MARINAKIS: Yes, and he was quick to take it back to justify it. Look, Mr. Pope. Easy opponents and difficult opponents, which is why we neither underestimate anyone nor overestimate anyone, the course of events shows that, are judged by their actions and not by their words. I wish that, with honesty and a series of admissions, both Mr Kasselakis and his political party would admit how wrong and how aggressively they have treated those they have ironically treated as householders for so many years. What I mean to say is. The housewives, as they have ironically been called for many years, want border protection. They want the Evros fence extended with respect for human rights. They want more evacuations of buildings in universities, which the government has started to do, they want the law to be enforced. They don't want us to take to the streets and march for criminals. So if Mr. Kasselakis has come to the logic of 2023, when he was elected president of SYRIZA, we urge him, and if he really believes what we are saying and much more, to do this opposition that the government and the country needs. In other words, to tell us to «evacuate more squats, enforce the law even more». Until then, I think this wording is hypocritical. Because he was elected president of a particular party. He did not found a new party.
JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister spoke again yesterday about multidimensional modernisation and the forthcoming reforms. And I want to tell you, because these reforms based on the election announcements include same-sex marriage and same-sex marriage and adoption, which was your election announcement. Will it be implemented and when?;
MARINAKIS: It will be implemented. The Prime Minister has explicitly said so during the pre-election and post-election. And Kyriakos Mitsotakis puts into practice what he says. As he has said at the TIF, he will announce the exact timing of this legislative intervention. But everything he has said is in full force.
JOURNALIST: Okay. The exact time, we've got a four-year period ahead of us. You know that people who are waiting to exercise some of their rights, which you also recognize, if you're going to bring in the law, don't want to wait 4 years. So I do not think they are covered by this answer.
MARINAKIS: I think it's better to wait for an official announcement. What the Prime Minister said at the TIF is valid. It will be announced.
JOURNALIST: So can we see it quickly or not?;
MARINAKIS: What the Prime Minister has said applies. I have nothing more to say to you. When I do, I will tell you.
