MEP Fidias Panayiotou has warned he will go on hunger strike outside the Presidential Palace over VAT on electricity.
Panayiotou made the threat in an interview with Sigma, discussing the challenge he has been running in recent days, aimed at cutting electricity prices by 20% through specific policies he is proposing to President Nikos Christodoulides.
He said his proposal includes, among other measures, keeping VAT at 5%, arguing this could lead to a 12% cut in electricity prices. He noted that other European countries apply low VAT rates, citing Greece and Malta as examples.
He made clear that if VAT on electricity returns to 19%, he will go on hunger strike outside the Presidential Palace until it is brought back down to 5%. “Electricity has to stay at 5%,” he said.
He added that he has no intention of abandoning the challenge, despite many experts on the subject having publicly explained that his proposal cannot be implemented.
