The government is stepping up its criticism of PASOK and former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, focusing on their announcements regarding income increases, free public transportation, and additional social benefits.
The Maximos Mansion speaks of a new cycle of “handout politics” which, it argues, is not accompanied by reliable cost estimates and risks returning the country to approaches that have been tried in the past.
In an effort to contrast the New Democracy party’s fiscal stability and measured commitments with the “race to make promises” among opposition parties, the Prime Minister’s staff emphasizes that support for citizens must be provided without jeopardizing the economy’s trajectory and without creating new burdens for future generations.
The government is particularly targeting Alexis Tsipras, who is accused of returning to the public debate with proposals reminiscent of his pre-election pledges from 2012–2015. According to this line of argument, these announcements lack clear sources of funding and, they say, replicate a policy model that has led to fiscal crises in the past.
The Maximos Mansion also rejects claims that significant revenue can be generated by increasing taxes on a limited number of high-income earners or corporate profits. As government officials argue, such approaches overlook the impact they would have on economic activity, investment, and ultimately public revenue.
At the same time, they reject the idea of reinstating the 13th pension or the 13th salary in the public sector, because, they say, this would entail permanent fiscal obligations that would derail the economy.
Tax cuts
In the same vein, they cite data showing that tax rate cuts in recent years have been accompanied by an increase in tax revenue, attributing this trend to the strengthening of economic activity and investment. According to the government’s interpretation, raising taxes is not automatically a solution for financing new permanent benefits, and they point to the government’s economic track record to date, with the reduction of dozens of taxes since 2019 and the increase in employment.
Another point of contention is PASOK’s proposal for free public transportation for young people up to age 24, as well as Alexis Tsipras’s subsequent proposal for broader implementation of free public transportation.
The government characterizes these announcements as a classic example of policies presented without a full assessment of their costs. Officials point out that every benefit requires corresponding resources and question which expenditures or revenues will fund such measures.
The central message being conveyed by the conservative camp is that the political debate is not about whether social needs exist, but rather whether the proposals being put forward are feasible and economically sustainable.
According to the Maximos Mansion, the experience of the past decade has shown that benefits without secured funding ultimately lead to dead ends for the economy and the citizens themselves.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to highlight this during his visit today to the Municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, as part of his targeted tour. The Prime Minister will visit the area’s flood control projects and the Varis Health Center, and will then meet with volunteer forest firefighters and, subsequently, with citizens.