Europe

Greece passes austerity 2017 budget, eyes 2.7 percent growth

Associated Press
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Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, front, addresses lawmakers during a parliamentary session in Athens, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. Greek parliament votes on 2017 budget, as the country's left-wing government is still negotiating a new series of cost-cutting reforms that are expected to remove protection measures for private sector jobs and distressed mortgage holders. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addresses lawmakers during a parliamentary session in Athens, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. Greek parliament votes on 2017 budget, as the country's left-wing government is still negotiating a new series of cost-cutting reforms that are expected to remove protection measures for private sector jobs and distressed mortgage holders. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras checks his watch during a parliamentary session in Athens, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. Greek parliament votes on 2017 budget, as the country's left-wing government is still negotiating a new series of cost-cutting reforms that are expected to remove protection measures for private sector jobs and distressed mortgage holders. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Greece's Parliament has passed a budget of continued austerity as mandated by the country's creditors, but which forecasts robust growth for 2017.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says it will mark Greece's "final exit" from its nearly decade-long financial crisis.

The budget adds more than 1 billion euros in new taxes, mostly indirect taxes on items from phone calls to alcohol. It also cuts spending by over 1 billion euros.

The budget was backed by the left-dominated ruling coalition and opposed by all other parties. It passed by a vote of 152-146 on Saturday.

Despite the continued austerity, Tsipras predicted that 2017 will be a "landmark year" with 2.7 percent economic growth. He said his government has achieved a higher-than-forecast 2016 primary surplus.