Opposition MPs demand support for struggling newspapers

52 Syriza MPs have tabled a question in Parliament demanding measures to help newspapers weather the rise in printing costs.

The lawmakers demand the suspension of VAT on both national and local papers as along as the inflation bump lasts, noting that such a measure was given the green light by Ecofin, the body of Eurozone finance ministers, on December 7, 2021. They also demand that the government temporarily subsidize printing costs. 

The lawmakers from the main opposition party note the case of a certain weekly newspaper, where the cost of printing paper rose 21% on an annual basis in 2021 and is estimated to rise 64%, on a 2-year basis, at the end of 2022. Costs of perishables and the printing process have also risen significantly, they say.

The Syriza lawemakers accuse the center-right government of deliberately neglecting to support struggling newspapers and their employees.