Hitherto, the consistency with which Greek citizens meet their tax obligations has perhaps not been noted by the rest of the planet as being among their strong suits. However, after many years, recognition of the hellenic talent for fiscal fudging is at hand, for according to the UK’s Guardian newspaper, Greeks are “some of the world’s most talented tax dodgers”.
In a recent article on the anger management seminars being taken by Greece’s tax inspectors, the newspaper mentions: “Patience and politesse were qualities sorely missing in interactions between Greeks and officials tasked with prying cash out of some of the world’s most talented tax dodgers.”
Such attributes, according to the newspaper, are now considered to be basic prerequisites for the highly stressful job of a tax inspector. “With more and more levies being slapped on ordinary Greeks – while the rich and well-connected are perceived to get off scot-free – inspectors have found themselves at the sharp end of popular rage,” says the article, explaining why anger-management seminars have become mandatory.
Although the Greek government has made progress in dealing with tax evasion, the identification of the dodgers is still difficult. The article concludes that wealthy Greeks in particular have become “more ingenious” at avoiding audits.
The British newspaper reports that tax evasion remains at the root of the perilous economic situation, citing a figure of some 60 billion euros – or 20% of public debt – as still being owed to the state by the population of Greece. OECD has separately calculated that tax evasion in Greece constitutes about 5% of GDP.
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