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Athens 4 September (M.P.A.)
Relief measures for the farmers, the middle-sized businesses and the pensioners, as well as, measures against unemployment, were announced by Prime Minister, Kostas Simitis during a press conference today. Mr.Simitis characterized as positive the results of the economic policy followed by PASOK in the last years and stated that significant steps have been made in relation to the convergence programme. Those measures, said mr.Simitis, are not off-hand pre-election promises but complete proposals which have already been studied by the responsible ministries. He said that PASOK's proposal is feasible and its resources are ensured. Referring to the farmers economic support, mr.Simitis stressed that the government of PASOK will allocate the sum of about 1 trillion, 800 billion drachmas for the education and training of 60 thousand new farmers, strengthen the incentives for the improvement of the operation of the farm sector mechanisms, expand the farm leasing programme, reduce the taxes for the new farmers, promote new products and upgrade the Farmers' Security Organization. Mr.Simitis referred to the measures concerning the medical care and the welfare system announcing that pensions will be increased based on the cost-of-living index and inflation. On the measures against unemployment, mr.Simitis said that the unemployment benefits will be increased by 10% in 1997 in order to get closer to 70% of the minimum wage of an unskilled worker, while he promised the creation of 180 thousand new jobs in the next 3 years. The Prime Minister also announced that in the next 4 years the objective criteria taxation system will be replaced by modern methods for the assessment of the taxpayers' income. Finally, on the middle-sized businesses, mr.Simitis announced measures worth 370 billion drachmas.
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