The Finance Minister’s reaction to AKEL’s request for a meeting highlights his arrogance and conceit

 

The General Secretary of the Central Committee of AKEL replies to the Finance Minister

30 Aug 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The reaction of the Minister of Finance to AKEL’s request for a meeting with him, which was submitted in a letter from the Party’s General Secretary on 8 July last year, shows arrogance and conceit. Since then we have received no response even out of an elementary courtesy which even this seems to have been annulled by the government.

We requested the meeting on an issue on which the Finance Minister had expressed agreement at the meeting of political parties that took place at the Presidential Palace last June. AKEL proposes the taxation of windfall profits to help the vulnerable groups of the population.

The taxation of windfall profits is provided for in the European acquis and included in the toolbox drawn up by the European Commission to address the big increase in energy prices. Obviously the Finance Minister and his government have decided to continue protecting powerful interests instead of protecting society and citizens.

The VAT reduction is not unconstitutional, as the Finance Minister ironically suggests. There is a Supreme Court decision from 2009 that considers it legal and within the competences of Parliament. A decision which the government provocatively skips over in order to continue to collect increased revenues at the expense of taxpaying citizens. As an indication, we point out that in the first half of 2022 alone, the state has increased revenues of almost 700 million compared to last year due to price hikes.

Minister, we will certainly meet. We will meet in Parliament where AKEL will continue to submit its proposals for combating price increases, knowing in advance that we will again have the government against us.