Carrot and stick for the self-employed

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitstoakis signaled his intention on Wednesday to start delivering the measures to reduce tax evasion before proceeding with promised tax cuts.

The move is a signal at home for tax compliance, but also to markets that the government is proceeding with fiscal caution.

During his visit to the Finance Ministry on Wednesday, Mitsotakis announced that a bill to be passed before the closure of the Parliament for the summer recess will include the measures promised by the New Democracy party for 2024.

It was originally thought that the promises would be institutionalized for the entire four-year period. Thus, the gradual reduction of the fee self-employed persons must pay to practice certain professions ("telos epitidevmatos") - which wouldn't have started until 2025 anyway - and the phasing out of the method of using assets to determine a...