Marinakis on Parthenon Sculptures: Greece will not concede any claims or give up any rights

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis on Wednesday referred to a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and on a possible agreement relating to the Parthenon Sculptures.

He noted that nothing had essentially changed, however, and that any celebration would be premature at this time.

"The bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his British counterpart Keir Starmer, a very important meeting in terms of symbolism and above all in terms of substance, did not have as its main agenda the return of the Parthenon Sculptures… It [dealt with] a number of other issues of an economic nature, such as migration, where once again the very great value of Greece's successful - given the circumstances - response was reflected.

"Regarding the issue of the Sculptures, the wording of the important assurance from the British Prime Minister that in the event of an agreement - I remind you that it is a bilateral negotiation with the British Museum - the British government will not stand in the way, has value. But there is no need to run ahead of ourselves …. At this moment there is nothing more, nothing newer, there is no secret meeting that has taken place…," said Marinakis, in an interview with the SKAI 100.3 radio station.

He also stressed that "Greece will not give up any rights, nor concede any claim".

Asked to comment on the events in South Korea, Marinakis said it was a situation that should be closely watched to see what broader situation will develop. "South Korea is a democracy that broadcasts a message of stability, it is something that needs to be monitored. And we should certainly not to rush to become analysts. But this too has been added to a puzzle of broader instability affecting one region after another worldwide."

Regarding the opposition's amendment on the taxation of bank profits, he accused the new main opposition party of "taking what it thinks people want to hear and saying 'let's make an amendment'. Without costing it, without seeing if this can be implemented," and added: "The basis of populism is exactly this."

Regarding the "no" to extraordinary taxation, the spokesperson said that "such a thing has no basis, based on the new regulatory framework and the new fiscal rules of the European Union." He asserted that such an extraordinary taxation was forbidden and giving this money back to the citizens through permanent measures was not possible. "The only way you can increase your spending is through tax cuts, when the additional revenue is generated by tackling tax evasion. Something which we are doing: We are increasing revenues by tackling tax evasion and increasing employment, without increasing taxes," he said.

According to Marinakis, what the government wants to achieve is for banks to lower the commission they charge on transactions, which was already done through the IRIS A2A payments system, and to increase liquidity in small and medium enterprises.

“The intended goal is lower fees without disrupting the credibility, solvency and course of the banking system in the country. Better terms for housing loans, increased deposit rates and liquidity for small and medium enterprises. Over-taxation has the completely opposite effect. When you go to someone and say: lower commissions, give people more, give small and medium businesses breathing space and I will tax you as well…. the most logical reaction is [that they will do] the opposite of what we want. So, PASOK with its amendment, firstly proposes something that cannot be done as a whole and, secondly, will lead to the opposite result. This is populism."

He also pointed out that banks were, in any case, taxed at a higher rate as the tax rate for banks had not been lowered, as it was for other businesses.

Marinakis also criticised the main opposition's proposed amendment for healthcare workers, saying this would lead to a wave of retirements that would put a heavy strain on the already understaffed national health service.

He said the government was "prepared to vote for a costed proposal, given that this money will come from the budget and the minister wants to see how it will be applied so as not to disrupt the operation of the NHS."

Marinakis also pointed to the reduction of 73 taxes since 2019, including 20 indirect taxes, noting that the ratio of direct and indirect taxes has improved slightly since 2019, with indirect taxes dropping from 67% in 2019 to 62% at present.

And he added that "among the 12 tax exemptions or reliefs provided for in the tax bill, which was passed in the Parliament, is the reduction of insurance contributions. It is also in the Budget, because it will be implemented in the new year. With this reduction of one unit of insurance contributions, we reach the European average. At the same time, among the tax reductions that this government has made, there is also the reduction of business taxation, and at the same time we have also reduced the advance payment of tax".

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