Originally Posted by
theAlaskanBear
Was that article you linked about the average greek citizen? No, it was mostly about wealthy tax evaders. The austerity measures punish low-level government employees and the increases in consumer taxes will only INCREASE the shadow economy your quoted article talks about.
Why dont we take a look at Greek military spending? In 2008 Greece ranked with Saudia Arabia, India, UAE, and Turkey at the top in Arms imports. It spends almost 3% of its GDP on military spending, higher than any other European country.
The austerity measures risks throwing Greece into a deep recession, because of the massive paycuts (25% in many cases) and increases in taxes. The wealthy have their money overseas in banks, and like the article you mentioned, are effective tax-dodgers.
The best way for Greece to start to right the ship is to reduce the informal ("shadow") sectors of the economy, and to really get serious about taxes.