The relevant government minister on Wednesday attempted to allay fears – and increased political fallout – that pensions will again be cut come September, with Labor Minister Giorgos Katrougalos promising that only 20 percent of pensioners will see cuts in their monthly checks.
In using the “glass half full” analogy, Katrougalos, who previously represented labor unions before entering government, said the other 80 percent won’t see cuts. In fact, he claimed, some pensioners may “see a few euros more”.
He based the estimate on a new method for calculating a fee slapped on pensioners and transferred to the public health system. The indirect tax came after the leftist Tsipras government eliminated a 5-euro fee for out-patient hospital visits, money collected by the hospitals for their operating expenses and usually reimbursed by health care funds.
