Greeks have just had the most expensive Easter of all time, main opposition PASOK-Movement for Change spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas asserted in statements to ANT1 television on Tuesday, noting that this was also highlighted by the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) and the Union of Working Consumers (EEKE).
"We are not governed by memoranda, we have higher nominal wages, but we, nevertheless, also have high nominal prices for products," he pointed out. He also noted the rocketing cost of housing and said that the measures taken by the government, even if well-meant, had been unable to stop the rising trend in rents.
"According to the lastest surveys, more than 60% of those who rent a home spend more than 30% of their income on housing, whereas in Europe this is 17%. If we don't solve this, then we will have a very big problem," Tsoukalas said.
He pointed out measures proposed by PASOK-KINAL to address this, such as a state company to renovate and build new housing, or deducting rent from taxable income and changing the tax bracket for landlords, adding: "Existing tax brackets are antiquated and outdated. Frontloaded policies are needed, it is not enough to simply increase demand, we need to also increase the stock of properties."
PASOK's spokesperson acknowledged that the problem affected all of Europe but said it was made worse in Greece by very low real wages and a much lower number of properties, due to a decade-long hiatus in construction activity, which he said had created an "explosive cocktail" of worsening social conditions.
He welcomed the announcement of Maritime Spatial Planning for Greece, saying it was a response, albeit somewhat delayed, to "maximalist positions" adopted by Turkiye. He stressed the need to quickly pass laws that define what economic and other activities can be performed in the areas within the Eastern Mediterranean, Ionian and Aegean seas.
Tsoukalas also specially mentioned the issue of the power cable being laid off the island of Kassos, saying the government must "tell us if there is a change and whether the plans will be redrawn".
"The electrical interconnection is an item of policy that has been expressed by our country for a long time now and is essentially a fundamental part of exercising our sovereign rights. We must not send the wrong signal that we are vacillating back-and-forth with respect to our sovereign rights, and that, while Turkiye is proceeding in a maximalist way, we are acting defensively," he added, warning that any backpedalling now will have future repercussions.