What is the solution for the demographic problem in Greece? Certainly more children. But how will this be possible when the generations in reproductive age hardly make the month ends meet with the low salaries they earn, high rents and utility bills, galloping inflation, lack of incentives, no child care facilities, the pubic health and the education systems in collapse?
A Greek journalist at an economic weekly is convinced that he has the absolute solution to the problem: higher taxation of pet owners in reproductive age!
“I would also recommend increasing taxation on keeping pets by citizens in reproductive age, as they [the pets!] act as a substitute for the need for humans to raise and care for children,” he wrote on capital.gr on Wednesday.
It is a fact that we in Greece, we hear the most obnoxious and absurde statements when it comes to local journalists – mostly of mainstream media affiliated with he conservative government – to express an opinion on X or Y issue that concerns the public.
They raise their finger to citizens defending an “opinion” which is often also a leakage by the government regarding planned measures and with the purpose to check society reactions.
Next to demographic problem, there seems to be also a problem with the number of available straitjackets in the country, as a user commented on Twitter.
“He still walks free, without a straitjacket.”
Ο άλλος πρότεινε αύξηση της φορολογίας σε όσους είναι σε αναπαραγωγική ηλικία κι έχουν κατοικίδια. Σαν λύση για το δημογραφικό. Και κυκλοφορεί ακόμα ελεύθερος, χωρίς ζουρλομανδύα
— Τζερμποα (@kagouriki) January 17, 2024
PS
As one of the pet owners in the cuntry, I’ve already started exterminating my pets to be a proud Greek mom, help my country and avoid high taxation
When I say to foreign friends that we in Greece have been living in a surreal and highly toxic nightmare since the economic crisis broke out in 2010, they find it hard to believe me.
Not that long ago the government did indeed make a “suggestion” that maybe pets should be listed on an individual’s tax return as an asset as it may well be an indicator of wealth?
And in the last Census they were asking people in my village to say how many windows they had, how many toilets etc. Most of my village told them to “go away” and the hostility was such that they did just that!
We in Greece (tax residents) have been beaten to submission since 2009. Now we will reap the benefits while we import tax free retirees, returning diaspora on reduced tax rates and digital nomads. It will be our burden to support the infrastructure they use, so that they can bring us money by spending at the tavernas and buying properties for chumps change (to them)
Correct or incorrect, that’s how I feel
Please dn’t lump all foreign retirees in the same basket, I and other friends living in Greece do not have enough capital to qualify for the golden visa scheme and pay our taxes just as the Greeks do so we too are suffering just like you.
Incorrect R , you in Greece live effectively in a banana republic riddled with endemic tax avoidance, you don’t make anything,apart from coffee, and within 20 minutes of you waking up you have used 20 things invented in the countries where the foreigners you mention come from, 20% of your GDP comes from the very same people, does it matter wether there is Greece for 2 weeks or 50 weeks.
Greeks are great at many things ,for instance if wasting people’s time was an olympic sport Greece would have secured gold for many years gone bye,and let’s not forget blaming others for it’s short comings , champions forever.
“When I say to foreign friends that we in Greece have been living in a surreal and highly toxic nightmare since the economic crisis broke out in 2010, they find it hard to believe me.”
I think the economic crisis started 2007 (imported from the US toxic sub prime mortgage fiasco) – early in 2008 the economic consequences became manifest with all the restrictions that started then and continued for how long?
Perhaps your foreign friends believed the propaganda that the crisis in Greece was due to the “fat and lazy people” rather than the long time systemic rape and pillage of the ordinary person by all recent governments, …certainly Greece was already bankrupt but so were the BANKS and that is why the big money laundering scam took off big time. And then Capital Controls etc. etc.