Cyprus Mail
Cyprus

Averof pledges financial support to large families through tax reform

Averof Neophytou at the unveiling of his income tax proposal

Presidential candidate and Disy leader Averof Neophytou said on Thursday one of his goals if elected will be to financially support large families with dedicated tax reliefs.

Neohpytou met the leaders the Pancyprian Organisation of Five-member Families (Popo) just days after unveiling his income tax proposal, dubbing it “the most radical reform ever in Cyprus” and claiming it would generate major savings for nearly 130,000 families.

“No family should stay below the poverty line,” the Disy leader said after the meeting. “This was a great opportunity for me and my colleagues to listen to some of the concerns and suggestions of large families in Cyprus.”

Neophytou then slammed the other two main presidential candidates – Andreas Mavroyiannis and Nicos Christodoulides – who criticised his recent income tax proposal by calling it unrealistic.

“This is what they have been doing all their lives, finding problems in the proposed solutions,” he said.

“That is why I want to invite my fellow presidential candidates to an open debate, where it will be up to the public to ask questions. Just choose the time, the place, and the duration of the debate.

“Cypriot people need to know who is coming up with proposals and solutions and who is trying to find problems in everything, at the expense of social cohesion.”

Neophytou also addressed Popo’s worries after last week the organisation’s president Solonas Kasinis said Cyprus ranks third worst in Europe for population replacement with a fertility rate of 1.34, way below the EU average.

Popo’s recommendations to the presidential candidates include tax reforms, lump sums for births, incentives for people to have a second child, financial assistance for infertile couples and expansion of paid parental leave.

“Our proposed tax reform not only takes into account the needs of large families in Cyprus, but provide incentives to households with three or more children,” Neophytou said.

He said that one of the provisions of his proposed tax reform will see that families with three or more children and with an annual income estimated between €50,000 and €55,000 will not pay income tax.

Follow the Cyprus Mail on Google News

Related Posts

Social worker service to be expanded

Rony J. El Daccache

Hundreds of birds dead in cage fire

Tom Cleaver

President urges swift progress on tax reform

Kyriacos Nicolaou

Verdict on Nicolaou’s death expected on May 10

Jonathan Shkurko

One in ten women of reproductive age in Cyprus have endometriosis

Iole Damaskinos

Anti-racism campaigner banned from north sparking criticism

Tom Cleaver