Greek Deputy Minister Kontogeorgis Slams Tsipras Over Surplus Claims

Deputy Minister Thanasios Kontogeorgis responded point‑by‑point to a recent announcement by the ELAS faction, challenging former prime minister Alexis Tsipras' claim of a €6 billion budget surplus. He noted that, under EU fiscal rules, the primary surplus is expected to fall to 3.2 % this year, making the full €6 bn distribution impossible.

Kontogeorgis highlighted additional promises that he says lack financial basis: an €8 bn deferred‑tax write‑down that would force Greek banks to erase large assets, a €1.5 bn cost for a €500‑month wage increase for 250,000 teachers, doctors and nurses, and a claimed 30 % cut to electricity bills that he says carries no fiscal cost. He added that the total of these pledges amounts to about €18 bn, exceeding the €13 bn previously allocated to the “Thessaloniki Programme.”