Greece is socialism’s future, a country split between those getting ludicrous government benefits and those who don’t want to pay for them.
Greece is socialism’s future, a country split between those getting ludicrous government benefits and those who don’t want to pay for them.
The Daily Mail probes the rift:
…the average salary on Greece’s railways is $95617 US… treble the earnings of the average private sector employee [in the UK].
Poor, impoverished Greeks enjoying a meager meal alongside their yachts
[The overground rail network’s] annual income is only $127.4m US from ticket sales, the wage bill is more than $796.8m US a year — prompting one Greek politician to famously remark that it would be cheaper to put all the commuters into private taxis.
Ridiculously, Greek pastry chefs, radio announcers, hairdressers and masseurs in steam baths are among more than 600 professions allowed to retire at 50 (with a state pension of 95 per cent of their last working year’s earnings) — on account of the ‘arduous and perilous’ nature of their work.
Mattress testers? They probably retire at 45.
If there were any taxpayers, they’d be complaining.
….only 5,000 people in a country of 12 million admit to earning more than $143000 US a year — a salary that would not be enough to buy a garden shed in [the wealthy suburb of] Kifissia.
Manipulating a corrupt tax system, many of the residents simply say that they earn below the basic tax threshold of around $15900 US a year, even though they own boats, second homes on Greek islands and properties overseas.
And, should the taxman rumble this common ruse, it can be dealt with using a ‘fakelaki’ — an envelope stuffed with cash.
Don’t worry about the Greeks, though. Since our economy is in such outstanding condition, President Obama has pledged that we will help Greece out with its “crisis.”
