Thousands of Greeks protested in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Saturday over a deal with neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to end a decades-old dispute over its name.
Athens and Skopje reached an deal in June ending years of acrimony between the two countries over the name of the tiny Balkan state, but it has triggered a furious response from many Greeks.
Tsipras pledges lower property tax, VAT in post-bailout era
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced on Saturday his plans to lower the value added tax (VAT) and the property levy ENFIA as of 2021 and 2019 respectively in a speech at the 2018 Thessaloniki International Fair, aimed at signalling a new era for Greece after the end of the third bailout.
“Greece today is a different country. A country that, after a clean exit from the memorandums, is standing on its feet again, relies on its own strengths and can look forward to the future with confidence,” he told attendees.
"We are determined to fulfil the agreed [fiscal] targets in the coming years. We will not allow Greece to return to the era of deficits and fiscal derailment."
