A casual vacancy?

[Maik]

Greece bailout- undercover tax inspectors

Blimey. Greece has proposed seven economic reforms that it plans to put in place to get hold of a final €7.2bn bailout disbursement - and one of the reforms is to recruit undercover casual tax inspectors, wired for sound and video, to combat off-the-books VAT evasion. The FT has a PDF of the proposals here.

In Greece undercover casual tax inspectors, which could include tourists, could be hired on a maximum two month basis, according to documents published by the FT. "The very 'news' that thousands of casual 'onlookers' are everywhere, bearing audio and video equipment on behalf of the tax authorities, has the capacity to shift attitudes very quickly, spreading a sense of justice across society and engendering a new tax compliance culture," wrote finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. But what happens if the inspectors get discovered?

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/business-31665220

Some for and against comments on the Guardian


Can't see that idea appealing to *many* Brit tourists. Might appeal to the Germans, though?

[Maik]

http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/4e4b2122-c40f-11e4-a02e-00144feab7de.pdf

[Maik]

Financial Times reports that the reaction from eurozone officials to the tourist plan was received with humor. They thought the proposal was hilarious and even laughed when they read it. “It’s quite hilarious, if it were not so tragic, that this is what a government in an industrialised country comes up with,” said one eurozone official involved in the talks.

http://en.protothema.gr/eu-officials-laugh-at-greek-proposal-for-tourists-to-act-as-police/