Tsipras: “Memorandum Failed” – Eight Objectives to Reconstruct the Greek Economy

Posted by keeptalkinggreece

Calling for people to respond to the “invitation for unity and creation”, Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s leader of main opposition party left-wing SYRIZA,  revealed a thorough program for the recostruction of the Greek economy. Speaking at the International Fair of Thessaloniki, Tsipras presented eight objectives for “a comprehensive, coherent, progressive and realistic reconstruction program” in order to secure the essential welfare services and infrastructure, the increase of public funding for education, health and social support.
At the same time he reiterated the renegotiation of the Memodarnum of Understanding with a clause for development and a elimination of a part fo the debt.
Specifically, the eight objectives are:

1. The immediate raise of a protective shield in society in order to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis
2. Reduce unemployment as soon as possible
3. Provide necessary social services and infrastructure, increase public funding for education, health and social protection
4. The adequacy of the country in food, medicine and fuel. Supporting local production for essential drugs and generics. Encouraging the greatest possible import substitution. It is telling that 75% of drug costs for 98 drugs in total 6000, of which only two are produced in our country. Will establish a national wholesaler. And, instead of indirectly funding from the state budget marketing of pharmaceutical companies to fund direct scientific research in the field of medicine.
5. Reduce public debt economy
6. Implement a comprehensive program to protect the natural resources and the environment
7. The development of public mass transport, particularly rail ways throughout mainland Greece and the combined road and public transport.  The establishment of a public-social ferry operator for transport among the islands
8. The further strengthening of shipping. With the conclusion of the national framework agreement with the shipping industry and the ship-owning world. This agreement, among other things, it will revise from scratch also the fifty eight different tax concessions for reeders.

As for the revenues increase, Tripras proposed:
1. The progressive reform of the taxation system
2. The establishment of a though electronic asset registry
3. The restructure and reform of tax offices with skilled personnel
He committed to a public bank solely with the purpose of enterprises funding and said that SYRIZA will submit a bill for “indebted businesses and households”.
Concerning the loan agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) Tsipras reiterated that SYRIZA will seek renegotiation of the loan contract with a moratorium for the payment of interest rates of foreign debt for a specified period of time, eliminating an rest of the debt and the repayment of the rest with a clause for development.
Alexis Tsipras stressed that since months the agenda of the country is “what austerity measures Greece has to take into order to receive the Troika loans” while it should be ”what Greece has to do to reconstruct the country in the time after the Troika.”
source: via Ethnos.gr (incl also concrete plans for combating tax evasion, banks etc)