Mitsotakis: Ending the 'unacceptable tax siege' will be the government's first priority

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlined the government's determination to lower the taxation burden in Greece, telling a conference on the" Future of Retail " organised the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) that his first priority will be to "end the unacceptable tax siege" - especially for Greek businesses.

"Our planning, as we have presented it, is comprehensive. Tax and insurance interventions that benefit the taxpayer, those paying state insurance and pensioners," Mitsotakis said.

"ENFIA has already fallen by 22 pct, a year earlier than we had pledged, the corporate tax rate has already fallen from 28 pct to 24 pct and the dividend tax from 10 pct to 5 pct, in addition to 1.2 billion euros in tax cuts voted in the 2020 budget, of which 700 million concern the world of business - large, medium- and small-sized companies," the premier added.

He noted that both the value and volume of retail sales were moving in the right direction, reflecting the overall optimistic climate in the market. "But I have no illusions. It is a long haul, given the current situation and the possibilities that exist. The retail share of national income is now over 10 pct. The jobs offered exceed 700,000, or 18 percent of all employees," the prime minister said.

Mitsotakis also noted the retail sector's "unique social distribution": "You are the middle class of the country that has come under pressure but has endured the years of crisis. The retail trade has always been a measure of the country's prosperity. A tradition that has to be creatively adapted to the needs of the overall transformation of the Greek and international economy."