OPINION

No such thing as a free ride

The fact that thousands of Greek commuters are able to ride without charge on the country’s public transport system on a daily basis may please sections of the public or even appear as a good “social” policy in these hard times of seemingly endless austerity.

The only problem is that, as is always the case, someone will have to foot the bill in the end.

This someone is, of course, the Greek taxpayer – i.e. all of us.

These bad habits are reminiscent of the situation in Venezuela, which has also seen its economy collapse in recent years.

The problem is that apart from the political comparisons that are routinely drawn between the two countries, Greece is also now running the risk of experiencing a Venezuela-style state breakdown. And that is something we should strive with all our might to avoid.

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