High taxes, poor services
The debate about whether Greeks are being overtaxed has gained fresh momentum following recent and rather controversial comments by Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras.
Well, the simple answer to the question is that, yes, Greeks who pay their dues – either because they respect the law or because they cannot evade payments to the state – are overtaxed.
These people are overwhelmed with the gross injustice of the system when they see that tax dodging is still rampant in spite of efforts to clamp down on it. Similarly, they are frustrated by the state’s failure to curb fuel smuggling.
On top of that, reasonable people find it hard to reconcile themselves with the fact that their tax contributions are by no means reflected in the quality of state services.
If Greeks dealt with a friendlier state, and had better health care and education, etc, they may find it easier to put up with the repeated tax hikes of the past few years.
