Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a permanent 13 percent reduction in the Unified Property Tax (ENFIA) on Wednesday morning. he added that the additional 13% reduction cover the government commitment for a total of 30% reduction in property taxes.
Προχωράμε, σήμερα, σε μία νέα γενναία μόνιμη μείωση του ΕΝΦΙΑ κατά 13%. Συνεχίζουμε να καλύπτουμε μέρος των αυξήσεων στους λογαριασμούς του ρεύματος που οφείλονται στη διεθνή ενεργειακή κρίση, ενώ την 1η Μαΐου θέτουμε σε εφαρμογή και δεύτερη σημαντική αύξηση του κατώτατου μισθού. pic.twitter.com/MkoYG6GSMY
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) February 2, 2022
“Under the new rules eight out of ten property owners will pay an even lower rate,” Mitsotakis said in a televised message to the public. “A fair share will pay the same contribution, while a small minority, around 6 percent, will see a reasonable increase,” he added.
The overall reduction of the new ENFIA dues will be around 350 million euros, much higher than the 70 million euros foreseen in the 2022 budget, the PM stressed.
The reduction in total will be 30% for properties worth up to 100,000 euros from 60,000 until now. A temporary reduction has been introduced since 2020.
It should be recalled that the ENFIA was initiated in 2012 by order of bailout lenders as a “temporary measure.”
Clarifying on the ENFIA reductions a bit later, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said also that 14% of property owners will pay the same amount as last year.
In the same message Pm Mitsotakis also announced that the government will continue to subsidize part of the hikes in electricity bills “due to global energy crisis” – as he said and added that a “second significant increase of the minimum wage will be implemented from May 1.”
The ENFIA announcement comes amid an outrage over horrid electricity bills and price hikes in basic needs products, while the government is/was planning to issue the ENFIA bills by end of February.
As first reaction, some analysts describe the announcement as a “pre-election promise” and a “desperate move” amid the society outrage.
Διάπλατα ανοίγει ο εκλογικός δρόμος! #ενφια
— Πολυλογάς (@georgepsal) February 2, 2022
“Elections way opened wide,” posted a well-known journalist.
Nothing is ever as permanent as a “temporary” government measure. Income tax was introduced in the UK as a “temporary” measure, first to fund weapons for the French Revolutionary war, 1799 to 1802, and then to fund the Napoleonic war, 1803 to 1816. It was reintroduced in 1842 and has been a major part of UK taxation ever since.
So kind of him!!🙄