Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis says the government will prioritize new business-support measures if additional fiscal space emerges in coming years, citing further cuts to advance tax payments and the elimination of a professional activity levy among top priorities.
Speaking at the Greek Commerce Confederation’s (ESEE) National Commerce Day event, where the group unveiled its new “GeoBase” digital mapping tool for Greek retail, Mr. Pierrakakis said reducing the advance tax payment carries significant fiscal cost — a 5-percentage-point cut alone would cost roughly €400 million in its first year.
“We’d like it to be bigger and faster,” he said, adding that the government aims to continue lowering the advance payment year over year.
On the professional activity fee, Mr. Pierrakakis said a timeline exists for its abolition but that any move must balance social priorities against fiscal capacity.
“I’d rather surprise you pleasantly than unpleasantly,” he said, adding that cracking down on tax evasion — part of this year’s €2.2 billion measures package — creates room for further tax cuts.
Mr. Pierrakakis said Greek retail accounts for 10.9% of GDP, with 2025 turnover reaching €181.3 billion and roughly 760,000 jobs, or 17.3% of total employment.
ESEE President Stavros Kafounis called for stable, fair rules for businesses and said boosting tourist spending — not just visitor numbers — could add roughly €4 billion to the economy if each foreign visitor spent just €100 more.
He said commerce underpins the functioning of cities and neighborhoods well beyond pure economic indicators.
