The real challenge

The government's main pledge in the campaign leading up to its election in July was to ease the burden on taxpayers. The gradual implementation of the plan to fulfill this promise, which was outlined by the prime minister at the Thessaloniki International Fair over the weekend, has already had a positive effect on the economic climate.

However, the challenge of putting the economic crisis behind us does not rely solely on loosening the tax noose. It will depend mainly on all the other reforms that were announced in Thessaloniki - reforms that will pose a much bigger political challenge than tax cuts.

These including simplifying bureaucratic procedures, reforming the education system, speeding up the judicial process and redesigning Greece's energy profile - all tough measures that will determine whether we are making real progress or not.