Debt to salaried employees

The government is proud, and rightly so, of the swift adoption of its planned tax relief measures. There is, however, a serious omission in the list of beneficiaries. While the announced measures will relieve businesses and the self-employed, salaried employees are left out of the 2020 tax-cut package.

One idea would be to use part of the primary surplus to help them, or return some of the solidarity tax they had to pay. This would send a symbolic signal of reciprocity to that section of the middle class which has borne the brunt of the crisis. Moreover, it would send a message to Greeks who work abroad that the punishing tax environment for salaried work is ending.