Fin. Min.: New fiscal space in the summer will be returned to the citizens

Additional fiscal space will be created in the summer, which will again be returned to the citizens in its entirety, says the Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras in an exclusive interview with AMNA news agency. And this, as, as he points out, tax revenues continue to move above the targets (and in June they will be above the target), for reasons related to the good course of the economy, increased consumption and the better than forecast course of tourism.

Mr. Staikouras referred to the measures for 2023 (which the Prime Minister announced in Parliament) and added that the government, after the completion of its constitutional term, will essentially put its planning for the next four years up for consultation, meaning the upcoming elections.

The Minister also noted that the government has planned for 8.5 billion euros worth of support measures for citizens, for the year so far, noting that the fiscal space for the first months of the year has been exhausted, but any additional space created will be allocated to alleviating the financial situation of citizens.

New bond issue

Regarding a possible new bond issue, the minister stated that the constant pursuit is the systematic communication of the country with markets, and when possible at the least borrowing cost. Mr. Staikouras added that this may be due to the contribution of external factors, such as the decisions of the ECB, however, it is mainly due to the economic policy applied.

The Minister stated that the government is working diligently to achieve investment grade ratings from agencies and will achieve this in 2023.

As regards the course of inflation, he estimated that, at a pan-European level, it will decelerate in the coming years, but will not go away, as it has certain structural characteristics, which acquire a more permanent character.