P. Skourletis: The French elections sent a message of questioning the dominant policies in the EU

For a message of questioning the dominant policies in Europe, from the result of the French parliamentary elections, which comes at a time when the issue of elections in Greece gives the opportunity to change the policies pursued, which are distinguished for the wrong strategy, in accuracy and inflation, but also in the energy crisis, spoke the Parliamentary Representative of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance and Member of Parliament, Panos Skourletis.

In the same context (SKAI) he said, among other things:

* Ms. Spyraki, if she wants to help the prime minister, will have to convey the message of yesterday’s French elections. A message challenging neoliberalism and the dominant policies in Europe so far. The anti-social nature of these policies, which are implemented by analogy by the Mitsotakis government, is currently being questioned.

* We have from the beginning a wrong strategy for dealing with accuracy issues, both in relation to electricity issues and in relation to fuel issues. We are wrong in prioritizing. When you reduce your dividend tax on business profits, it is a misnomer for some holders of large stakes. Some money could be saved from there. You reduce the capital gains tax. You reduce the tax for parental benefit by setting the limit at 800,000 euros of objective value for each child. These are measures that, if not taken, could save some resources.

* Even the way ENFIA was reduced is completely disproportionate and anisomeric. For small properties we have a relief of 5-10 euros, but due to the increase in objective prices many of these households lost the criteria for inclusion in the CTO, the social tariff or various benefits.

* If for the past six or seven months we have reduced the amount of excise duties, but also 24% of VAT, which is on the total price and we pay it every time we go to the gas station, you realize that we may have had an inflation that would was a few points less.

* We have a crisis of accuracy, which, especially in the field of electricity, has started a year ago. For a year now we have been saying take concrete measures, intervene in the mechanism of shaping the wholesale price, put a ceiling on the wholesale and retail. The government is now coming – it is supposed that the new measures will come into force on July 1 – and leaves out all the consumption or a large part of the consumption, which took place in March and April, because the clearing bills have not been issued… So this measure is ineffective. He says now: we will leave the mechanism, the energy exchange, untouched, we will put the ceiling and the difference between the wholesale ceiling and the energy exchange price we will put it in the energy transition fund, so that it can then subsidize the bills. It is a wrong approach.

* And what will be given, until it is given, will have evaporated from the prices that “run”. Inflation, which has now reached the level of 1994, does not affect all sections of society equally and in the same way. For example, those with incomes in excess of or close to 3,000 euros donate 29% of their monthly income to their diet. Low-wage earners make up 41% of their income.

* The elections should have taken place … I think that the government is already thinking about it, it has found that it is no longer firmly on its feet … In western democracies, policies change through elections. That is where we aim to change the policies pursued. So elections.