Samaras: "Markets will abandon us" if SYRIZA gets a majority in Parliament

In an interview with "Skai" TV station, the Premier and senior government coalition partner New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras noted that Greece "is very close to lift-off, we are so near", although warning that we are as much near to better times, as we are to worse times.

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Nevertheless, he emphasized, that "If SYRIZA is elected [with a majority in Parliament], the [local] market will freeze, [international financial] markets will abandon us, the economy will freeze and we will return to a recession". Samaras said that it can be considered "a joke" that SYRIZA is a pro-European political party. He also rejected the idea of a minimum wage in the private sector, as belonging to a communist perception of central economic programming.

Samaras promised a gradual reduction of income tax rates from 42 per cent to 33 per cent - dependent on how the economy fares - while he also talked about reducing corporate tax rate to 15 per cent and making it uniform for all businesses. He additionally said that the uniform property ownership tax ENFIA will be reduced by 7 per cent in 2015.

The Premier assured viewers that "the prime (first) dwelling of citizens will not be harmed in any way", in protection of the houses people live in, which were bought with mortgages that are not serviced.

Samaras appeared certain a precautionary credit line for Greece can be safeguarded, in order to protect the country against speculators and markets, "while there will be further debt relief, so that money can be directed to wherever there is pain and social injustice".

The Premier concluded his interview by saying, that "My name is Antonis, not Alexis [a reference to SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras]... Tsipras is a worshiper of an economic system - the one of Venezuela - which has proven internationally that it doesn't work".