By Ioannis Chatzitheodosiou*

It is true that the Thessaloniki International Fair has traditionally been associated with announcements by governments on their economic policy. This year there is even stronger interest in the intentions of the new government - its office term essentially just started - and we are waiting to hear Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ plan for our country’s permanent exit from the crisis.

After a decade of witnessing our income shrinking and our living standard deteriorating, we, the small- and medium-sized business owners, are hoping to finally hear an integrated plan for growth that will focus on relaunching the Greek economy and boosting entrepreneurship.

*Ioannis Chatzitheodosiou is the president of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen.

Coordinated actions and long-term planning are essential for the country to enter into a trajectory of growth, since it is certain that the accumulated problems cannot be effectively addressed overnight. The first step however needs to involve measures that will reinforce entrepreneurship. The drastic reduction in taxation for individuals and businesses is one of these measures, with the middle class having suffered severely from excessive taxation, as the government itself has admitted. A change in the method used in calculating insurance contributions is also necessary. We will not be exaggerating if we say that taxes and contributions brought the lower and middle class to their knees. There have been promises for alleviation in both areas, but we are eagerly waiting to see them put in practice.

Another major issue which the government needs to put at the top of its priorities is the attraction of investments. Without significant investing activity our economy cannot be rescued from the stagnant depth it has plunged into, nor can new job posts be easily created. However, in order to convince significant investors to invest in Greece, they must be offered not only incentives; but a  stable taxation system that will not keep changing each time there is a gap in the country’s budget.

On account of the recent lifting of the capital controls and the return of the banking system to normality, I believe that the government and banks are obliged to support the long-suffering small and medium-sized businesses and improve their liquidity, as well as offer reward programmes for consistent borrowers. Because we must not forget that despite the difficult situation which many of our colleagues found themselves in all these years, they managed with great effort to be consistent in fulfilling their economic obligations. And as we have heard many times in the past about banks’ intention to reward this punctuality through targeted programmes, I believe this is the right time to put these intentions into practice.

Also, given the positions expressed by the new government regarding the roles of the State, I want to believe that we will finally see improvements in matters of bureaucracy and in fighting those criminal behaviours that harm the economy and entrepreneurship. I refer mostly to tax evasion, illicit trade and smuggling. These are activities that create unfair competition conditions - mainly to the expense of small and medium sized businesses - and they must be eliminated immediately. This had not been achieved to date due to the enormous interests behind such activities. If the government wishes to send a clear message regarding the rationalisation of the public sector it must take action promptly on these issues.

In closing I would like to note something about the Thessaloniki International Fair. The time must come when it ceases to be a platform for political controversy and disputes, and regain its original role:  a great event which aims to form closer ties amongst the business community and pave roads of extroversion and progress. Let us hope that this time will come soon