LOLGreece - Part 1268

[Tender Branson]

Greek Gov’t Ignored 800 Bln In Black Money Transferred to Swiss Banks

“The Greek government has done nothing for a year to recover supposedly untaxed assets of Greek citizens in Switzerland. There is an invitation extending from 2014 by the Swiss Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) to track the money and transfer them to Athens,” the German newspaper Die Welt pressed earlier today, accusing Athens for ignoring the black funds hidden in Swiss bank accounts.

The Greek government can benefit from assets worth billions of euros in taxation, currently in Swiss banks, the report underlines. The Swiss agency confirmed that Greek Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis as well as his predecessors had never replied to the Swiss authorities’ invitation.

According to statistics emerging from the Swiss central financial institution, the Greek deposits in the country’s banks reach 800 billion euros — a figure recorded at the end of 2013. At the same time, much of the interest earned must have also remained untaxed, the German newspaper highlights, as this was for many years the standard for foreign clients who moved their money in Swiss bank accounts.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/03/15/die-welt-the-greek-govt-ignored-800-bln-in-black-money-transferred-to-swiss-banks

[Tender Branson]

Switzerland to Greece: "We invite you to take steps so we can voluntarily send you billions of tax money."

Greece to Germany and the other €-countries: "If you do not send us more money to throw out of the window, we are going to send you AIDS, Ebola, asylum seekers and ISIS-fighters !"

[Antonio the Sixth]

This Greek government has been in office for barely a month. I think we can give them the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, I'm not surprised that a right-wing government wouldn't give two sh*ts about fighting tax evasion. That's what right-wingers do.

[Tender Branson]

This Greek government has been in office for barely a month. I think we can give them the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, I'm not surprised that a right-wing government wouldn't give two sh*ts about fighting tax evasion. That's what right-wingers do.

It's not that new anymore. Well, let's hope that someone from this "new" government reads the article and puts it onto the agenda in parliament, instead of asking other countries to send more cash.

[Antonio the Sixth]

This Greek government has been in office for barely a month. I think we can give them the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, I'm not surprised that a right-wing government wouldn't give two sh*ts about fighting tax evasion. That's what right-wingers do.

It's not that new anymore. Well, let's hope that someone from this "new" government reads the article and puts it onto the agenda in parliament, instead of asking other countries to send more cash.

I think the custom is to wait for the first 100 days before assessing a government's actions. From its outset, the Syriza government has been held to a different standard, as if people just wanted to reinforce their preconceptions that it was going to be a failure. Allow me to just wait and see.

[Beezer]

Well, they've been in office for 50 days now. If the next 50 are anything like the first, they'll be able to point to a track record of speeches and not much more.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Antonio has been disappointed by every new centre-left government in western Europe and North America for as long as I've been on the forum, so I think it is only fair to give him another fifty days to hold out hope for this government.


On the topic, it's of course greatly scandalous that Samaras' government did nothing to retrieve these tax evaders, and if the current government continue to follow in their footsteps they've really relinquished the one thing were I actually though they could make an improvement.   

But it's still early in their term so lets see what they do on the matter in the upcoming months. Still one would hope that this, and not war reparations () would be a more pressing priority. 

 

[MaxQue]

I don't understand why people are surprised than Samaras didn't sought out tax evaders' money. I suspect than him, his ministers and some of his MPs were among the ones having money in Switzerland.

[Хahar 🤔]

I don't understand why people are surprised than Samaras didn't sought out tax evaders' money. I suspect than him, his ministers and some of his MPs were among the ones having money in Switzerland.

You see, the point of this thread is that Greeks are evil freeloaders.

[Cassius]

Is there really no more money to be had from cutting services that benefit the poor?

[Bacon King]

This article is biased and the Swiss are being incredibly disingenuous. The Greek and Swiss governments have been in ongoing negotiations about this for several years. Greece wants Switzerland to implement a tax withholding scheme for this money, which the Swiss did in similar agreements with the UK and Austria but refuses to do for Greece. Switzerland is also not offering to do anything that would in any way weaken their bank secrecy laws- the Swiss proposal is literally just that the "Greeks should implement a voluntary self-reporting scheme for people with money in our banks, or something, then we will totally follow up on it."

[Antonio the Sixth]

This article is biased and the Swiss are being incredibly disingenuous. The Greek and Swiss governments have been in ongoing negotiations about this for several years. Greece wants Switzerland to implement a tax withholding scheme for this money, which the Swiss did in similar agreements with the UK and Austria but refuses to do for Greece. Switzerland is also not offering to do anything that would in any way weaken their bank secrecy laws- the Swiss proposal is literally just that the "Greeks should implement a voluntary self-reporting scheme for people with money in our banks, or something, then we will totally follow up on it."

Why am I not surprised?

The anti-Greece/"austerity rulez!!1!1" crowd is getting increasingly desperate to bend the facts to their outlandish narrative.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

This article is biased and the Swiss are being incredibly disingenuous. The Greek and Swiss governments have been in ongoing negotiations about this for several years. Greece wants Switzerland to implement a tax withholding scheme for this money, which the Swiss did in similar agreements with the UK and Austria but refuses to do for Greece. Switzerland is also not offering to do anything that would in any way weaken their bank secrecy laws- the Swiss proposal is literally just that the "Greeks should implement a voluntary self-reporting scheme for people with money in our banks, or something, then we will totally follow up on it."

Why am I not surprised?

The anti-Greece/"austerity rulez!!1!1" crowd is getting increasingly desperate to bend the facts to their outlandish narrative.

Yes, I've noticed that many spurious claims have been circulated by mainstream outlets.

[Velasco]

Switzerland to Greece: "We invite you to take steps so we can voluntarily send you billions of tax money."

Greece to Germany and the other €-countries: "If you do not send us more money to throw out of the window, we are going to send you AIDS, Ebola, asylum seekers and ISIS-fighters !"

Don't worry, Branson. Within the next 50 days of grace, the Greek government will be declared guilty of AIDS, Ebola and the humanitarian catastrophe of Lampedusa. Please, calm down.

[ingemann]

What about we all make a deal until the Greek government have shown itself able to something other than making EU's PMs, presidents and foreign ministers look very very tired. Tender and everyone else who think the Greek government are a bunch of idiots can keep mock them, while everyone who think the solution is just around the corner, can wait until Greece have actualy done something, which they wasn't forced to do (under great whining), and then you can attack Tender and company.

I would love to see the Greek government doing something about corruption, and naive as I am, I expect Syriza and Anel to be the one most likely to try to deal with it. But I have lost some of my optimism after having followed their actions the last 50 days.

The meeting tonight is a good example, it have more or less pissed every single Euro members, except for Germany and France off (and even those two's countries patience have been tested).

[Velasco]

Dear ingemann, you don't get it.

What about we all make a deal until the Greek government have shown itself able to something other than making EU's PMs, presidents and foreign ministers look very very tired. Tender and everyone else who think the Greek government are a bunch of idiots can keep mock them, while everyone who think the solution is just around the corner, can wait until Greece have actualy done something, which they wasn't forced to do (under great whining), and then you can attack Tender and company.

On the one hand, I have little to say if you, Branson and others think that the Greek government is a bunch of idiots that deserves being ridiculed. That's not the issue, my friend. If you care to read some previous posts, you'll find that the news in which Branson bases his somewhat hysterical attempt of mocking the Greeks is mere propaganda. If there's an 'offence' here, it's not the dubious sense of humour. On the other hand, you seem to believe that all of us on the 'other side' are ingenuously optimistic about the possibility of a solution "around the corner". As far as I'm concerned, nothing could be more untrue. However, I think that it's mainly the EU establishment who creates obstacles by persisting in the error. I'm very very tired of the bunch of clowns that runs the EU institutions, believe me.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Switzerland to Greece: "We invite you to take steps so we can voluntarily send you billions of tax money."

Greece to Germany and the other €-countries: "If you do not send us more money to throw out of the window, we are going to send you AIDS, Ebola, asylum seekers and ISIS-fighters !"

This sounds eerily familiar... If you don't pay us reparations now, we're gonna send our army to occupy the Rhineland...

Germany/Austria 2015 is just like Interwar France..

Stagnating economy, demographic decline...immigrants coming in from the periphery of the empire to maintain the status quo...perceived as weak, especially against emerging threats.  And when your debtor installs a government that won't play ball...your weakness is immediately shown to the world.

The world laughs at you Germany and pities Greece.

[ingemann]

Dear ingemann, you don't get it.

What about we all make a deal until the Greek government have shown itself able to something other than making EU's PMs, presidents and foreign ministers look very very tired. Tender and everyone else who think the Greek government are a bunch of idiots can keep mock them, while everyone who think the solution is just around the corner, can wait until Greece have actualy done something, which they wasn't forced to do (under great whining), and then you can attack Tender and company.

On the one hand, I have little to say if you, Branson and others think that the Greek government is a bunch of idiots that deserves being ridiculed. That's not the issue, my friend. If you care to read some previous posts, you'll find that the news in which Branson bases his somewhat hysterical attempt of mocking the Greeks is mere propaganda. If there's an 'offence' here, it's not the dubious sense of humour. On the other hand, you seem to believe that all of us on the 'other side' are ingenuously optimistic about the possibility of a solution "around the corner". As far as I'm concerned, nothing could be more untrue. However, I think that it's mainly the EU establishment who creates obstacles by persisting in the error. I'm very very tired of the bunch of clowns that runs the EU institutions, believe me.

Yes we have the impressive counter point to a article Branson linked to (quoting a respected newspaper), something which Bacon King wrote. Now I respect Bacon King and all that, but I think that I will demand a little more evidence, before I think that a article by die Welt is "proven" as propaganda, than a poster just saying "that's wrong". You're free to believe that it's correct, but no; Tender Branson have not be proven wrong, someone have just posted something which fit into your narrative, which you have decided to take as the truth.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Bacon King is, by himself, a more credible source than any German newspaper on issues regarding Greece.

[Velasco]

Yes, I am a big fan of  Axel Springer too. There are no words in the dictionary to express the loads of respect and admiration that prestigious conservative headlines like Die Welt and sister newspapers such as Daily Telegraph (UK) and ABC (Spain) inspire me, as well as their recognised impartiality and total absence of bias. Particularly, I adore their coverage of Greek issues for some reason

That 'issue' raises some questions, just like the stupid controversy around what the hell Finance minister Yanis Varoufakis did (or not) with his finger (I can't help but roaming with night terrors thinking about it). Do you give credit to Swiss authorities when it comes to banking transparency? Do you believe that a government of whatever ideological leaning is so stupid to reject such an offer? Look, they are willing to send Greece voluntarily loads of money. Greece needs desperately whatever sum of money, because Greek people is in a state of humanitarian emergency (I'm quoting Jean-Claude Juncker). I'm sorry, but the first impression that I got is that the news sounds like an insult to the intelligence. In other words, internal consumption propaganda to feed the anti-Greece feeling among good German speaking conservatives.

[ingemann]

I fully buy that what BK says is may be true. But you say it is true, because it fit your ideological narrative.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I fully buy that what BK says is may be true. But you say it is true, because it fit your ideological narrative.

The burden of proof is on the side of those who spread unverified rumors against Greece, not on those who try to question this propaganda.

[Simfan34]

No, that's not how an argument works. The burden of proof is on someone who contests the validity of what is the prevailing viewpoint, not on the person presenting the mainstream view.

When one "questions" something, they are the ones who have to disprove it, because the implication is that whatever is being questioned is already assumed to be true.

[Antonio the Sixth]

No, that's not how an argument works. The burden of proof is on someone who contests the validity of what is the prevailing viewpoint, not on the person presenting the mainstream view.

When one "questions" something, they are the ones who have to disprove it, because the implication is that whatever is being questioned is already assumed to be true.

The German viewpoint is not the "mainstream" in any meaningful sense.

[Tender Branson]

So, does anyone know when Greece is finally paying the war reparations to Iran for Alexander the Great's war crusades into Persia ?