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The need for support measures for 200.000 citizens who are below the poverty line, stressed the Secretary General of AKEL, Stefanos Stefanou, during his visit to the People's Solidarity Network of the PEO, where some 400 aid packages for families and households[/B] were prepared in view of the Easter holidays.
Mr Stefanou watched the process of preparing the packages by volunteers and handed over a cheque on behalf of AKEL in support of the Solidarity Network.
In statements after the visit, Mr Stefanou said that policies aimed at strengthening the welfare state and particularly at supporting vulnerable groups, such as low-income and low-pensioners, are needed, as well as measures to support these people in the short and medium term, while he also listed a series of measures proposed by AKEL.
"The figures show that at least 200,000 are below the poverty line lately," noted the AKEL Secretary General, pointing out that this is not only due to the war in Ukraine, but has now worsened. "The accuracy was there before, as we had indicated many times to the government, which said that the phenomenon was transitory, and in the end not only is the phenomenon not transitory, but at the moment they are also talking about the possibility of stagflation," he added. Referring to AKEL's proposals, he referred to the proposal to reduce the VAT rate for electricity from 19% to 9%, which was passed by the House of Representatives, but referred to the Supreme Court by the President of the Republic. "We call on the government to reinstate the proposal, which was passed by all parties in parliament, except DISY," he said.
He also said that a legislative proposal was also being prepared to end double taxation on fuel, as well as legislation on the cap on basic goods and fuel. "Because the legislation on the cap on fuel is different from the legislation on other basic goods, AKEL has tabled a proposal for a law so that the same provisions regarding the cap apply to fuel as well, to take into account obscenity, although the government always maintains that there is no obscenity in fuel," he explained. "We call on the government to respond to AKEL's specific proposals, so that in this way we can relieve as much as possible the people who are worried and suffering from inaccuracy," he concluded.
"We call on the government to respond to AKEL's specific proposals.
He assured of AKEL's continued support for the Solidarity Network and congratulated the volunteers who contributed to the preparation of the packages.
"I have been informed that in the Nicosia province alone, there are more than 400 aid packages, while there are also in other provinces," he said, but stressed that this assistance, although it does not solve the problems faced by thousands of households and our fellow citizens, is a relief for the festive season.
"I want to congratulate the Solidarity Network for the practical solidarity it promotes, for the practical help it gives, which is not only limited to the festive season, although the Christmas and Easter period is at the heart of its activity," Stefanou stressed.
For her part, the General Secretary of the PEA, Sotiroula Charalambous, said that the 400 packages prepared by the People's Solidarity Network again this year are proof that low-income earners and people living on benefits find it difficult to cope, but stressed that this cannot be the solution.
"Solutions exist and legislative proposals have been submitted to Parliament, as the Secretary General of AKEL also mentioned," she said. Charalambous, adding, however, that the big issue is for the government to listen and understand the problems of citizens.
"Yesterday's measures are needed to increase social benefits and support low pensioners, who are below the poverty line," she stressed, arguing that those recently announced are "at least misleading, because they gave low pensioners what they were deprived of in January 2022."
"We need measures yesterday, to increase social benefits and support low pensioners, who are below the poverty line," she said, arguing that those announced recently are "at least misleading, because they gave low pensioners what they were deprived of in January 2022.
He stressed that there is an immediate need to start a dialogue on the full restoration of the ATA, which should also be a criterion for setting the minimum wage. "A wage that is fixed but not indexed to inflation loses its value," he explained.
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