Chr. Staikouras: ‘I am realistically optimistic that 2022 will be a much better year’

“I am realistically optimistic that 2022 will be a much better year for the country, it will be a year in which it will be confirmed that Greece is changing, moving forward and most importantly, looking up,” said Finance Minister Christos Staikouras. speaking today at noon at an event organized in Patras by the governing committee of New Democracy, in the constituency of Achaia.

In fact, as he added, “we have a strong growth and even stronger than the estimates we had made and what we lost in 2020 we got back in 2021”. At the same time, he noted that “we have succeeded comprehensively and coherently as a government, despite the unprecedented health conditions, in order to achieve a significant part of what we promised in the election”.

Christos Staikouras also pointed out that “the big picture of the economy is satisfactory and the prospects are extremely optimistic, with several new investments and the creation of new quality jobs.”

Speaking about the repayable advances, he said that “we borrowed 8.3 billion euros to lend to society and businesses so that we can get them back in the future.” But, as he said, “from this 8.3 billion euros, we expect to get back 2.3 billion euros, that is, we borrowed as a country, we will return what we borrowed, but society and business will not return what they borrowed, because 6 billions of euros were “cut”.

Regarding the minimum wage, he said that “this year, the increase that will be given in May will be more courageous compared to the one given last January and will therefore help to approach the European average”.

He also said that “86,000 jobs will be created this year through OAED”, adding that “the incentives are created to have jobs, so that the unemployed can put income at home”.

Mr. Staikouras then referred to the energy crisis, saying that “it seems to be with us for longer than we expected globally, but also to be more intense in family budgets than we expected pan-European, so it is necessary treatment “.

“That is why we”, he continued, “come and help permanently the available income for temporary crises” and explained: “The reduction of ENFIA, the reduction of corporate taxation and the reduction of insurance contributions are permanent measures to deal with and transient crises and these can not be overcome. ”

Regarding the energy field, the Minister of Finance said that “we cover part of the increase in energy costs and so far we have given over two billion euros to help cover part of these costs” and added:

“We try to help households as much as possible. We did not help businesses in 2021, but we do in 2022. We helped farmers in 2021 in energy costs and the new liquidations which, along with what the farmers have received, will “They will go and set off. Also, in the coming days, a significant part of the resources, over 30 million euros, will be transferred for covid compensations for various products of the primary sector”.

Elsewhere in his speech, he said that “we must continue to be close to society and help it until normalcy returns, but at the same time we must be very careful about the present and the future of the economy.” Because, as he explained, “we do not want and will not reverse any of the right policies that we have implemented over the last two and a half years for the benefit of the citizens.”

“We have to be careful, prudent and prudent to do what is best for retirees, employees and the younger generation,” he added.

“Our goal is to strengthen society, especially the middle class, the lower and middle income classes, because we are a popular faction, because our ideological sign is social liberalism, that is, economic efficiency and social justice,” Christos concluded. Staikouras.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ