We want to encourage landlords to increase the supply of apartments, Hatzidakis tells Kathimerini

We want to encourage landlords to increase the supply of apartments, especially small and medium-sized apartments, in order to meet the needs of the social class that feels the most pressure, Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said in an interview with ‘Kathimerini’ published on Sunday.

When asked whether measures are being taken for short-term rentals, he replied:

“Short-term rentals are very useful because they increase the number of beds available and thus help tourism in the country and at the same time increase the income of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens. On the other hand, it is certain that in some districts, as abroad, they cause some deformations. We are carefully examining the picture in all the individual areas and we will intervene in a spirit of justice, without creating a problem in the short-term rental market, but also without ignoring the effects that have arisen in several cases, especially in Athens.”

Regarding the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), he said that “we want to combine three things: we want to update our policies to respond to contemporary challenges such as climate change, demography and housing. We want to respond to legitimate requests from society to support those who really need it. However, we also do not want to undermine the country’s economic position and the progress we have made so far.”

Hatzidakis noted to ‘Kathimerini’ that “Greece is out of the danger zone today, it has made great progress in the last five years, but it has not yet become Switzerland or Sweden. The effort must be continued seriously, combining fiscal discipline with a pro-investment policy.”

He added that this combination has worked over the past five years and that Greece has made many steps. “This can be seen in the significant drop in unemployment, the increase in investments, exports and wages. Over the past year, Greece has returned to investment grade, which means that for the loans we have taken out this year alone, we will have a benefit of 800 million euros over 10 years. We have implemented a tax reform, we have promoted measures to combat tax evasion, such as the linking of card readers (POS) with cash registers, and 10 privatizations have been completed. Our banks have entered a new phase with divestments and the entry of private investors. The country is among the first to absorb funds from the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) and the EU Recovery Fund. We have adopted a series of modernization initiatives for the Growth Fund, with the aim of transforming its subsidiaries into companies such as Public Power Corporation and creating a National Investment Fund. We have generated tax revenues without raising taxes and sent the message that we want laws to apply at all levels, whether it is (fighting) tax evasion or enforcing the law on the beaches. In this spirit we will continue from now on.”