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In reply to the discussion: Greeks withdraw $894 million U.S. in cash out of bank accounts [View all]hack89
(39,171 posts)34. If the Greek people really cared to make something good out of it
then they shouldn't make tax evasion a national sport.
According to a remarkable presentation that a member of Greeces central bank gave last fall, the gap between what Greek taxpayers owed last year and what they paid was about a third of total tax revenue, roughly the size of the countrys budget deficit. The shadow economybusiness thats legal but off the booksis larger in Greece than in almost any other European country, accounting for an estimated 27.5 per cent of its G.D.P. (In the United States, by contrast, that number is closer to nine per cent.) And the culture of evasion has negative consequences beyond the current crisis. It means that the revenue burden falls too heavily on honest taxpayers. It makes the system unduly regressive, since the rich cheat more. And its wasteful: it forces the government to spend extra money on collection (relative to G.D.P., Greece spends four times as much collecting income taxes as the U.S. does), even as evaders are devoting plenty of time and energy to hiding their income.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2011/07/11/110711ta_talk_surowiecki#ixzz1uPEt42My
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Getting out of the Eurozone makes more sense than getting beaten down by EU banksters. n/t
davidwparker
May 2012
#49
Well they could change their constitution and allow taxation of their shipping billionaires and they
grantcart
May 2012
#3
Suspect the shipping billionaires did a Romney long ago. Without income, what taxes on the others?
freshwest
May 2012
#4
All income from shipping, all dividend income and all capital gains on Greek Stock exchange have no
grantcart
May 2012
#42
Thanks very much, now I see why some in Europe are mad at them. They have been portrayed as victims.
freshwest
May 2012
#48
to add to the problem is that a lot of the money that is invested and that will disappear if Greece
grantcart
May 2012
#51
I am starting to see similar things here. We're all connected, it's both a blessing and a curse.
freshwest
May 2012
#55
A) we're not going to invade Greece, no matter what they do with their property
4th law of robotics
May 2012
#12
I wasn't actually saying it was a solution. Just more nonsense and fake solutions.
harun
May 2012
#40
Prudent move. If Greece moves back to their own currency there'll likely be a major devaluation. n/t
PoliticAverse
May 2012
#18
Short term it will be painful, but 18 months after leaving they will be just like Iceland
Katashi_itto
May 2012
#53