The tax breaks cover only a fraction of the financial burden.
At the Thessaloniki International Fair, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis unveiled changes to the country's tax system that will take effect next year. The reforms lower rates across all income brackets and provide additional cuts for families with children. The initiative was billed as a key measure to support the middle class and particularly young parents, who have been hit hard by rising living costs. Yet when weighed against the actual cost of raising a child in Greece, the tax breaks cover only a fraction of the financial burden.
Data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority show that in 2022, a childless couple spent on average €1,340 a month. For families with one child, the figure rose to €2,385—an increase of about €1,050 each month. Adjusted for inflation, the additional annual cost of raising a child comes to €12,941. Over an 18-year period, this amounts to nearly €233,000 per child, a daunting figure for most Greek households.
The government's new tax scale lowers the entry-level rate to 9% on the first €10,000 of income, followed by 20% on the next €10,000, with higher brackets rising progressively to 44% on incomes above €60,000. Families with children enjoy deeper cuts in the €10,000–€20,000 bracket: the rate falls to 18% for those with one child, 16% for two, 9% for three, and disappears altogether for families with four or more. In practical terms, a family with two children and an income of €20,000 will save about €600 a year, while a family with three children will save €1,300, and one with four children €1,680.
At middle-income levels, the relief is greater. A household earning €30,000 saves €400 without children, €800 with one, €1,200 with two, €2,100 with three, and €4,100 with four. Higher earners also benefit: those on €50,000 will save more than €2,500 even without children, with families enjoying larger gains depending on their size.
But the numbers are less impressive when set against the realities of family life. A family with one child and €30,000 in annual income receives €800 in relief—barely 6% of the additional €12,941 it costs each year to raise that child. For a couple with two children and €20,000 each in income, the combined saving of €1,200 represents just 4.6% of the €25,882 annual burden. Even in the most favorable scenario, where a couple each earns €30,000 and has four children, the €8,200 tax break offsets only around 16% of the more than €51,000 required to support the family each year.
Projections over a child's entire upbringing underscore the same point. Two parents earning €30,000 each can expect cumulative tax relief of around €28,800 until the child reaches adulthood. Yet this offsets just 12% of the estimated €233,000 cost of raising that child.
The government's reforms therefore provide genuine but limited support. They reduce household pressure somewhat, especially for larger families, but they do not come close to neutralizing the immense financial weight of child-rearing in Greece. For most families, more than 90% of the cost still falls squarely on their own shoulders.
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