The priorities for attracting investments were stressed by the President of New Democracy (ND) Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at a meeting that was held on Monday in Thessaloniki.
The top priority, he said, was achieving political stability with a government which is determined to implement bold reforms that it really believes in.
Attacking governing SYRIZA he said that there can be no reforms if half the party is against them and lacks basic understanding of how the free economy and the market works.
“Political change is a prerequisite today for Greece to make a major development leap, ” Mitsotakis said.
The opposition leader criticized Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on his public claims that he supports investments, saying his government’s handling of Canadian miner Eldorado Gold‘s investment in northern Greece shows he is actually trying to block them.
“It is ironic for the prime minister to talk about of investments and then his cabinet do the exact opposite. Don’t listen to what they say; look at what they’re doing,” the ND chief said.
“The danger for the investment is visible. We are talking about one of the largest productive investments in the country. And while our concern should be [to create] jobs to tackle high unemployment, the government is consciously delaying the licensing of the investment for ideological reasons” he said, adding that the Council of State has issued 16 rulings in favor of the investment.
Mitsotakis then said his party will protect the rule of law and protect the jobs created by the investment.
“ND believes in the utilization of the country’s mineral wealth, always with absolute respect for the environment. My main concern is to create jobs. To allow a productive investment important for the area, the local community, the Greek economy,” he added.
Focusing on taxation and investment he pointed out that “Greece is an unattractive destination for any investment, foreign and domestic”.
He reiterated his commitments to reduce business taxation, from 29% to 20% within two years, and reduce the tax on dividends from 15% to 5%.
“I am also committed to raising the VAT threshold to € 25,000, which will particularly facilitate very small businesses,” Mitsotakis said.
Mitsotakis stressed that tax cuts would be counterbalanced through “a more lean and efficient State”.
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