Greece wants debt relief as bank deposits plunge
Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Friday that the country was looking for a comprehensive agreement with its international creditors that should include debt relief.
During an interview with Greek radio station Vima FM, he said that the country was very close to completing a Greek programme review, and that the talks with its creditors had shown progress.
The Greek minister admitted that taxes could be raised without damaging the economic demand if they also encouraged the redistribution of wealth in the national economy.
Varoufakis ruled out the possibility of applying a transaction tax on bank withdraws, the same day that Greece's bank deposits fell to its lowest levels since 2004. Official data showed that deposits fell to €139.4bn in April, down from €145bn in March.
Won't be much left in #Greece's banks by the time #ECB gets the keys. Deposits down another €5.6 billion in April. pic.twitter.com/bN0qk0Pesm
— Geoffrey Smith (@Geoffreytsmith) May 29, 2015
EU Economy Commissioner Pierre Moscovici admitted on Friday morning in an interview with CNBC that the talks between Greece and its lenders had experienced “good progress”, but added that further measures had to be discussed, including pensions.
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