Greek PM unveils tax, pension relief measures ahead of elections

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday announced tax cuts and pledged to reinstate a benefit for low income pensioners among other "relief measures," weeks before municipal and European Parliament elections.
Greece emerged from its third international bailout in August last year and has been outperforming fiscal targets agreed with its international lenders, giving the government leeway to proceed with handouts in an election year.
"The time has come for the sacrifices of the Greek people to be vindicated," Tsipras said in a joint news briefing with Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and other ministers.
The new measures will come into effect in 2019-21. They include a permanent benefit for pensioners, who saw their incomes slashed at the peak of Greece's debt crisis in 2012.
Value-added tax on restaurants will be reduced to 13 percent from 24 percent...