Een Griekse Tragedie (1 update)

[link naar het artikel]

“I wouldn’t say that all Greeks are Zorba, but part of every Greek is this love of life and this love of enjoyment,” said Nikos Dimou, a 75-year-old Greek author who studied in Germany and has been most industrious — producing 60 titles in all. “The Greeks have a rather negative view about the Germans because they work too much. Dimou attributes the differences between southern and northern Europe to the lack of a “Protestant work ethic” in the south — as well as the sun-splashed Mediterranean climate, which slows the pace and encourages corner-cutting” [bron]

Update: de eisen aan Griekenland beginnen eindelijk concrete vormen aan te nemen:

An increase in the retirement age from 53 to 67, a three-year wage freeze and cuts in public sector pay are understood to be among the austerity measures agreed to by the Greek Government in exchange for a €24 billion (£21 billion) rescue package.

The measures include severe cuts in Civil Service wages, with public servants losing their “13th and 14th” months’ salary and pension entitlements, a reduction of state benefits and tax increases on alcohol and tobacco to help cut the deficit. [bron]

En verder:

Hiking the VAT from 19 percent to 21 percent (worth 1.3 billion euros)

One-off corporate tax (1 billion)

Cutting “holiday bonuses” by 30 percent (740 million)

2 percent supplemental gas tax (450 million)

Freeze on state pensions (450 million)

Reducing bonuses and pay by 7  percent for public sector employees (360 million)

2 percent supplemental cigarette tax (300 million)

Supplemental electricity tax (250 million)

One-off tax on vacation homes and oversized properties (200 million)

Cuts to pension subsidies (150 million)

Supplemental tax on luxury goods, e.g. yachts and cars worth more than 35,000 euros (100 million)

Other measures include: an additional 1 percent tax on income over 100,000 euros, reducing government overtime hours by 30 percent, cutting public-sector benefits 10 percent, and taxing the commercial activities of churches.

Maar eerlijk gezegd is dit nog allemaal peanuts. De echt pijnlijke maatregelen moeten schijnbaar nog gecommuniceerd worden. Zoals een generieke verhoging van de inkomstenbelasting. En dan nog zware straffen op belastingontduiking en corruptie, het moderniseren van het overheidsapparaat, de helft van de ambtenaren ontslaan, werkdag van minimaal 8 uur invoeren, de absurde uitzonderingen op de pensioenleeftijd afschaffen, balanced budget beleid invoeren voor de komende 10 jaar en dan zijn we nog maar net begonnen. Een van de topprioriteiten zal moeten zijn om de macht van de vakbonden te kraken.

Lees hier de volledige Council Decision van de EU.

Met speciale dank aan minister JC de Jager voor de links.