No respite in sight for middle classes

The period of austerity is by no means over for the Greek middle classes, despite the country's exit from the memorandum this summer.

As negotiations with the European institutions on the measures that will be included in the 2019 budget enter the final stretch, it has already become clear that middle-income Greeks have absolutely nothing to look forward to in the next year, while the mood remains heavy for 2020 too.

A reduction to the Single Property Tax (ENFIA) does not concern the medium- and large-property owners, salaried workers' deductions for taxes and social security contributions will remain exactly the same in 2019, and despite the expected reduction of the rates used to calculate the contributions of self-employed professionals, their total deductions will remain above 50 percent next year as well.

Middle-income Greeks could have looked forward to a...