Standing with the people of Greece and "Shock Doctrined" citizens of the world

an example of what happens when people avoid paying taxes. Greeks are notorious for avoiding taxes and condoning widespread corruption which they shrug off. In Germany and other Northern EU countries OTOH tax avoidence is next to impossible, the State gets it's taxes come hell or high water, so their coffers aren't running on empty. Greeks admit this themselves.

:facepalm:

This is pretty well established fact.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/world/europe/02evasion.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8469519.stm
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/02/how-tax-evasion-is-complicating-greek-rescue-efforts/36365/

From Der Speigel:

snip
Tax evasion affects 10 percent of value-added tax throughout Europe, but in Greece that numbers jumps to about 30 percent. According to Papadimitriou, tax evasion is rampant in one third of the entire economy. In theory, hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes could be recovered, an approach the new administration supports.

But how? In other countries, tax evaders would receive visits from the tax authorities, and that also happens in Greece. But in Greece deals are made. In return for leaving tax evaders untouched, officials receive "fakelaki" -- envelopes containing bribes. There are even standard rates for bribes. For instance, the going rate for a vehicle exhaust inspection is a fakelaki containing €300.

"We have always been a society built on favors," says Kostas Bakouris, president of the Greek arm of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, which placed Greece in 71st place -- behind Ghana -- on its list of the world's 180 most corrupt countries.


SOURCE http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,669235-2,00.html


NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/world/europe/02evasion.html


Financial TIimes
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0402c92e-4991-11df-9060-00144feab49a.html


WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704182004575055473233674214.html?mod=WSJ-hpp-LEADNewsCollection


TaxJustice
http://taxjustice.blogspot.com/2010/02/greek-tax-evasion-blame-dearth-of.html

Greece erupts in violent protest as citizens face a future of harsh austerity

May Day clashes in Athens as belt-tightening policies are set to reverse rights won by workers over 30 years:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/02/greece-violence-bailout-imf-euro



Subtract "violent protests", and... parallels, anyone?? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8257948

...increasing taxes on the wealthiest individuals by 40% and raising the retirement age to 63.