The coalition government has denied allegations that it will enforce a new series of fiscal measures, in response to claims made by the opposition that the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has already committed to such a possibility.
The Prime Minister’s associates have urged for calm, noting that talks for debt relief are about to begin and Mr. Samaras’ intention is ensure that the negotiations also result in ending the bailout era.
The latest clash between the coalition government and opposition leaders SYRIZA started on Tuesday, when the Avgi newspaper published a document signed by Mr. Samaras and addressed to Greece’s debtors, where the PM commits to taking new measures as necessary, a few days before the recent elections.
Government spokesperson Sofia Voultepsi accused SYRIZA of spreading lies and that the document in name was dated April 15 2014 and was issued in relation to the social dividend. The IMF however has published the controversial document, which is dated May 14 2014, thus refuting Mrs. Voultepsi’s claim.
According to government officials, the Prime Minister’s intention is to take bold, unilateral decisions and to reduce tax rates, similarly to how the VAT in food was reduced to 13%. The goal is to carry out these reductions gradually in order to safeguard the primary surpluses, argue the officials.
