As a frequent visitor to Greece and the rest of Europe, I think Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his government should not have gone asking for further bailouts, because it won’t solve their problems. Yes, they are part of Europe and will always be, but they need to face reality now rather than later.
While staying at a hotel in Athens, I spoke to the general manager about a staff member and during our discussion, he informed me that they have employed a lot of young people in the age group of 18 to 35 years, which the government is trying to get into jobs. So, they offered a deal of paying them minimum wage and providing them with a meal while they are on duty. In exchange, they don’t have to pay insurance or taxes or provide any medical aid to them.
Over the Eid Al Fitr holidays, we went to Santorini in Greece, and we visited a jewellery shop. We asked for the price of a bangle, and the man dropped the price by more than 65 per cent, and said that if we pay cash, he could give us a receipt for the full value of the insurance! But this price included the value-added tax (VAT) refund, so there was no need to reclaim VAT in Athens. So again — it was about evading taxes.
We spoke to a tour guide who told us he was from Lagonissi, a seaside residential area. Last year, he had three jobs and was 31 years old, but still lived with his parents and wouldn’t be able to get married, as he couldn’t afford to feed himself, let alone a wife. He said he got paid cash at all three of his jobs, but he never paid taxes, as it was part-time work.
Other countries like Ireland, Finland and Portugal have all had bailouts and they had to put austerity measures in place and their citizens, too, had to make dramatic changes to their lifestyles. But, they have come out of it stronger.
The protests in Athens in Syntagma Square that took place in mid-July looked like a war zone. Hundreds of shops in the capital were closed, losing any revenue for three days, while protests turned violent and thugs joined in, damaging property. But, there’s no use blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany for their woes.
I think if Greece doesn’t want to pay taxes and prefers to evade repaying loans, it’s better for them to have two to three years of hardship, than to see the country go cap in hand in three months again, asking for another loan.
- The reader is the general manager of a travel agency, and is based in Dubai.
