Mitsotakis pledges major tax cuts, says he is ready to govern

In a full-length interview with To Vima reporter Dimitra Kroustalli, main opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis says that tax cuts will be the very first bill tabled by his government should he be elected prime minister.

‘’The tax law will include all our pledges and will substantially lighten the tax burden on citizens. Tax cuts are a central pillar of our economic policy,’’ he said, noting that half of Greek taxpayers do not have the means to pay their taxes anymore.

Mitsotakis charged that ruling Syriza is rebuilding a partisan state in its image , and that ND is in a better position to secure concessions like a lower primary surplus from creditors.

‘’But first, our government must prove it is more credible and effective enough to secure high growth rates, drastically limiting the need for high surpluses,’’ he said.

Mitsotakis pledged that in the initial phase he will lower business taxes from 29 to 20 percent, and the tax on stock dividends will be lowered from 15 to five percent.

He also promised to lower employers’’ insurance contributions, which he said impede growth.

On the issue of auctions of foreclosed properties and what he would do to reducew the primary surplus, he said he will protect the truly weak by collecting from the delinquent debtors who have enough to pay but do not, thus defrauding the state.

He said he that will first target debtors with high incomes and property assets, that secondly he will bolster the stability of the banking system, and thirdly he will comprehensively manage all non-performing loans. No details were offered.

On the refugees and migrant crisis, he said he would ensure better border patrols, without clarifying whether that entails push-backs of migrants to Turkey. He called for rapid asylum procedures to differentiate legal refugees from economic migrants, and send the latter back home.

He called for closed reception facilities for migrants and better use of EU funding to tackle the matter, which he suggested was wasted on patronage hiring through NGO’s, whose balance sheets he said he wants to make public.