Nikos Androulakis, leader of PASOK, underscored his commitment to three concrete policy interventions aimed at tackling the cost-of-living crisis in an op-ed published in the newspaper TA NEA on Saturday, 11 July 2026.
A ‘Silent Tax’ on Wages
Androulakis criticized the New Democracy (ND) government for dismissing the harsh reality faced by Greece’s middle class and economically vulnerable citizens. While the government claims wage increases offset rising prices, he argues that data tell a different story. Citing the Institute of Studies of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), he noted that the real average annual wage rose by just 0.3% between 2019 and 2025 — and remains 1.3% below 2021 levels. This, he said, proves that inflation functions as a ‘silent tax’ on every worker’s income — ‘a tax never voted on in Parliament, yet paid daily by citizens.’
Broken Promises and Communication ‘Bubbles’
He recalled repeated assurances made by the Prime Minister since 2023 — including declarations that ‘the hardships of inflation are behind us,’ that a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would curb multinational profiteering, and that successive ‘household baskets,’ ‘godfather baskets,’ and ‘Saint Basil baskets’ would yield tangible relief. According to Androulakis, these initiatives amounted to little more than short-lived communication ‘bubbles,’ their effectiveness exhausted by the next opinion poll.
Energy Dependence and Policy Failures
Androulakis pointed to recent admissions by the Government Spokesperson — who acknowledged that inflation persists due to Greece’s heavy dependence on imported natural gas, leaving the country vulnerable to any external energy shock. He added that this dependency did not emerge overnight: it began under the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition and dramatically intensified under ND, whose policy choices effectively handed over the energy sector to cartels. He also criticized the government’s decision to convert the Ptolemaida V power plant into a natural gas unit.
The Real Cost of ‘Surplus Economies’
Addressing the government’s argument that high inflation is the inevitable price of a growing, surplus-generating economy, Androulakis countered that public revenues are rising not because the economy is thriving, but because citizens are paying more for the same goods, services, and everyday essentials. He highlighted that for every €1 of direct taxation, Greeks pay nearly €1.60 in indirect taxes — far above the EU average of just €0.96.
Three Key Interventions
Facing this reality, Androulakis called for a decisive change of course and outlined three specific measures:
A) Strengthened Market Oversight
Establishing a robust, independent Consumer Protection Authority with real enforcement powers across the entire supply chain; reinforcing the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC); and empowering the Directorate for Combating Anticompetitive Practices (DIMIA) to actively curb oligopolistic abuses and conduct rigorous market inspections.
B) Targeted Reduction of Indirect Taxes
Introducing a focused reduction of VAT on essential goods — a measure the current government has rejected, Androulakis noted, not on economic grounds, but because it lacks the capacity to monitor and prevent potential price manipulation by retailers.