Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said former prime minister Alexis Tsipras is the last person who has the right to talk about taxes, launching a sharp attack on his predecessor ahead of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis's speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). Marinakis, who serves as deputy minister to the prime minister, made the comments in an interview with SKAI 100.3 radio.
He said this year's TIF carries particular political weight because it is the last one before the next national elections. He said Mitsotakis would not limit himself to presenting measures to be applied in 2027, but would begin revealing the government's main priorities for the following four years, provided voters renew their trust in New Democracy.
"What you will hear, that is what you will see implemented," Marinakis said, adding that the prime minister would lay the foundations of the government's main priorities for the next four years, mainly on the economic front but also more broadly.
Attack on Tsipras over Thessaloniki timing
Turning to Tsipras's presence in Thessaloniki, Marinakis said linking the former prime minister to the concept of a "Thessaloniki programme" provokes reactions ranging from dismissal to reminders of what happened during his time in government.
"Tsipras and a Thessaloniki programme, so, the last thing that can create in a political opponent is fear," he said, though he stressed the government does not underestimate any political opponent, let alone someone who has been elected prime minister.
Marinakis reserved particular criticism for Tsipras's decision to speak in Thessaloniki before the prime minister. He recalled that when Mitsotakis was leader of the main opposition, he never spoke at the TIF ahead of the sitting prime minister, even when New Democracy was leading in opinion polls.
According to Marinakis, the TIF has become a political milestone at which the sitting prime minister presents the government's programme first, before opposition parties set out their own proposals. He argued that Tsipras's choice to break with that tradition, despite no longer being leader of the official opposition, reflects a "very arrogant" view of politics.
"Last person who can talk about taxes"
Marinakis was equally harsh about the economic announcements Tsipras may make. He recalled the tax policy pursued between 2015 and 2019, saying more than 30 taxes were imposed or increased under the Tsipras government.
He singled out the impact on self-employed professionals, the Katrougkalos law, social security contributions, a 29% tax rate and a 100% advance tax payment requirement, contrasting that record with tax cuts introduced since.
"The last potential future or former prime minister who could talk to a self-employed professional about taxes and be taken seriously, I think, is Mr Tsipras," Marinakis said.
Cost of living and support measures
Marinakis acknowledged that the cost of living remains the main problem facing households today, saying the government must limit its effects as much as possible.
He said there is no "button" that can make high prices disappear, and identified the central challenge as creating fiscal space without imposing new taxes. He said additional state revenue must come from economic growth and from tackling tax evasion, so that permanent support measures can be funded.
Asked who should benefit from new measures, Marinakis gave his personal view that greater emphasis should go to families, the middle class, consistent taxpayers and small and medium-sized enterprises.
He made particular reference to families with children, including those with three or more children, and said further measures for small and medium-sized businesses should be examined. He also said pensioners receiving pensions of around 1,200 or 1,500 euros, as well as public sector employees, cannot be treated as citizens who need no support.
"Greece grows through actions"
On relations with Turkey, Marinakis said the term "calm waters" does not do justice to the Mitsotakis government's foreign policy.
"The headline is a proud Greece that grows through policies, through actions, and not through fake patriotic slogans," he said, adding that Athens seeks dialogue and good relations with Turkey, always with respect for international law, though dialogue is not an end in itself.
He pointed to exclusive economic zone agreements with Egypt and Italy, the extension of Greek territorial waters to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea, the strengthening of the armed forces and migration policy, arguing that those accusing the government of being too accommodating toward Turkey are trying to construct a false narrative.
Comments on Antonis Samaras
Asked about former prime minister and former New Democracy president Antonis Samaras, Marinakis said he chooses his words carefully given Samaras's political record.
He acknowledged that Samaras helped keep Greece a "European and normal country," but said Mitsotakis, like other prime ministers, has also pursued a foreign policy based on international law and kept communication channels with Turkey open.
Marinakis then took aim at Samaras's current stance, saying that following such a policy while serving as prime minister, only to attack Turkey more forcefully after leaving office, possibly to appear more appealing to a more right-wing audience, "does not help the country in any way."
