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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-04-27
CONTENTS
[01] Finance ministry refutes reports of new austerity measures
[01] Finance ministry refutes reports of new austerity measures
ANA-MPA - There are no 7.7 billion euros' worth of new measures, new
taxes or further cuts in wages and pensions, the Finance ministry said
in an announcement late on Saturday, rebutting press reports about
further austerity measures in Greece.
The ministry referred to the European Commission's evaluation report on
the Greek adjustment programme on Friday, which gave Greece a positive
assessment thus opening the way for the disbursement of an 8.3 billion
euros' support loan to Greece (6.3 billion of which will be disbursed
next week), and said the reports were spread by "the same circles that
claimed the country would not meet its fiscal targets, the same people
who are always spreading rumours of danger and cultivate a climate of
fear and catastrophe."
They "either do not know how to read charts or are 'blinded' by their
government opposition attitude," the ministry added in its announcement,
pointing out that "Greece has entered a long period of high and viable
primary surpluses." It also quoted the report on a primary surplus of 0.8
percent over GDP in 2013, which it said "overshoot the (fiscal adjustment)
programme's targets and presented the opportunity to distribute a social
aid bonus."
Among other things, the Finance ministry said the charges of fiscal gaps
"don't add up" and that any "forecasts by the troika (of lenders) for
even higher primary surpluses (which would have thus led to a fiscal
gap) are being dealt with through structural interventions that are in
no way related to wages and pensions."
In conclusion, it asserted that any fiscal gap existing now relative to
the next few years will be "cancelled out by the satisfactory execution
of this year's budget, the implementation of structural interventions and
the gradual improvement of liquidity following the reintroduction of the
state and Greek banks to (international) markets, in combination with the
wider growth initiatives that will be announced in the immediate future."
"As the forecasts of the Greek government have been proven true the last
two years," the Finance ministry said, "the same will happen now."
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