Mr. Harris Theocharis commented on a number of topical issues in the economy, such as the settlement of debts with the tax authorities, the adoption of IRIS by businesses, and the purchasing power of consumers, during his interview on the public radio.

Of particular interest were the clarifications provided by the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance regarding the "freezing" of the interest rate for the settlement of debts with the tax authorities for one year. Specifically, Theocharis explained that "next week we will bring an amendment to the Parliament for voting, which will set the interest rates for the settlement of taxpayers' debts. Through this procedure, we will change the interest rates for those who have already proceeded with the increased interest rate arrangements, as well as for all those who will follow. This interest rate amendment will be retroactive to the beginning of April, when the Bank of Greece announcement was made. We have also provided that the difference for those who have already paid the first installment will be credited to the next installment. Taxpayers do not need to take any action; the amendment to the bill will fully cover the issue."

Regarding the adoption by businesses of the IRIS direct payment system, which concerns the daily lives of millions of consumers in Greece, Theocharis pointed out that "so far, more than 200,000 businesses and professionals have connected to the IRIS platform. I should explain, however, that we have two types of professionals in IRIS: a) freelancers, for whom the obligation to register in IRIS applies with a deadline of June 30, 2024; and b) commercial businesses, with a deadline of March 31, 2025, due to some technical issues related to the banking system, so that the use of IRIS will also work in physical stores."

Regarding any penalties for late connections to IRIS, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance stated that "of course there is a fine of 1,500 euros, which the Ministry of Development imposes on violators."

However, Theocharis reiterated emphatically that "the public benefits from the IRIS system and direct payments, since they are not charged at all for their transactions. But as far as the merchant is concerned, the charges are presumably proportionately lower than for other payment methods because fewer parties are involved in the transactions through IRIS.".

In the context of his interview, Mr. Harris Theocharis also referred to general issues of an economic nature, such as the need to improve the purchasing power of Greeks, stressing that "we must try even harder to increase the monthly income of Greek households. However, on an average level, we see that the increases given by the government last year more than covered the income reductions we had seen in 2022 due to the international price explosion."