The Greek government is shaping a new economic and political strategy focused on middle class tax relief ahead of the upcoming Thessaloniki International Fair and the spring 2027 general election.
Signals from Maximos Mansion indicate that economic growth and increased tax revenues should be returned to society. The economic plan prioritizes salaried employees, self-employed workers, small and medium-sized enterprises, compliant taxpayers, and families with children.
Government officials emphasized that further strengthening the middle class has become a core priority, building on previous tax cuts and abolitions. Social groups that bore a heavy portion of the tax burden during past years are central to the new policy focus.
As part of the proposed package, a government spokesman confirmed that a further reduction in advance tax payments is among the measures being examined by the prime minister, although a final decision has not yet been announced.
The Thessaloniki International Fair, held annually in September in northern Greece, is the traditional venue where Greek prime ministers deliver major speeches setting out national economic policy. Maximos Mansion, located in central Athens, serves as the official seat of the Greek prime minister and the executive hub for government policy planning.
Tax criteria reforms and budget timeline
On the fiscal front, ministers are evaluating changes to objective tax criteria starting in 2027. The government links the potential gradual elimination or restriction of these criteria to measurable progress in combating tax evasion through digital tools.
Under the government rationale, as tax evasion is curbed through point-of-sale terminals, electronic transactions, data cross-checks, and digital monitoring, the necessity of estimating income through objective criteria will diminish. Whatever measures are announced at the fair will be included in the December national budget and implemented on January 1, 2027.
Objective tax criteria are legal benchmarks long used by Greek tax authorities to estimate taxable income based on owned assets such as property and vehicles. Point-of-sale terminals and digital banking tools have increasingly been deployed across Greece to track transactions automatically and reduce shadow economy activities.
Political clashes with opposition leadership
Alongside economic proposals, the government plans to step up criticism of opposition parties over an alleged lack of constructive policy alternatives and a tendency to offer uncosted promises. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has focused criticism on Nikos Androulakis, leader of the main opposition party, PASOK.
Government representatives pointed to PASOK's decision to support Elena Akrita for the position of fifth vice president of parliament as a source of ongoing confrontation. Ministers also criticized the PASOK leader's position regarding the selection of the Governor of the Bank of Greece, arguing that these actions reveal the political orientation of the parliamentary opposition.
PASOK, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, forms the primary opposition block in the 300-seat Hellenic Parliament. The Bank of Greece acts as the nation's central monetary authority within the Eurosystem, while parliamentary vice presidents are elected to manage legislative proceedings.
Electoral strategy for 2027
The economic program is tied to clear political objectives. Government strategists believe that the period remaining until the spring 2027 parliamentary elections provides sufficient time to demonstrate policy results and debate program proposals against opposition platforms.
For the prime minister, the upcoming trade fair represents the first major political milestone leading to the 2027 vote. The government aims to translate positive economic growth indicators and available fiscal margins into tangible improvements in everyday life for citizens.
Ruling party New Democracy and the prime minister plan to construct their campaign narrative around delivering a dividend of growth to every citizen across the country over the next four-year term.
