Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis is presenting the 2015 draft budget to Parliament today (6.10), amid ongoing negotiations with the troika and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras seeking a vote of confidence in the government. According to sources, the draft predicts a primary surplus for 2015 which is very close to the 3% target demanded by the troika without any new austerity measures.

The draft is expected to include the tax breaks heralded by Samaras in September – a 30% cut to a tax on heating oil and a reduction to a solidarity tax on income. The revised version will be finalized and put to a vote before November 10.

The troika will continue to monitor everything until the final text of the budget draft, and a representative noted that in recent years, Greece has a good record in terms of its forecasts on financial figures and these cannot be disputed by the representatives of its international lenders. The troika appeared optimistic that the present budget will stay on track.