Hear this! Hear this! The boss has lost his mind and is handing out money… Everybody rush!

This is no joke. Once again, the Greek state is giving money away. If your debts (towards the banks etc) are less than 20,000 euros, then your debts are written off, claims a (pro-government) afternoon newspaper and some within the government are smiling, as they expect a vote in return in the upcoming elections.

A statement on television informs us that everyone who hasn’t had their car go through a KTEO vehicle inspection can now do so at a discounted price. The cost of the fee for law-abiding citizens was 65 euros. Thanks to the regulation that was decided, those who avoided paying are being rewarded! Now, if they pay the fee with a delay, the fee will be 33 euros instead of 65!

There is a multitude of examples that if you have the courage to follow the infamous “I won’t pay! I won’t pay!” doctrine, you will at the very least gain a friendly settlement. You will pay less at a later date. Whether it is debts towards the tax office, municipal authorities for illegal parking or traffic violations. Of course the banks are also called to pay their share in the theatrical production of “I won’t pay! I won’t pay!”, which is staged with the consent and approval of the the opposition at the time.

Setting aside the cases of housing loans which truly need to settled, the policy of giving away that is implemented by all governments has poisoned society. How can one ask salaried family men to pay their mortgage installments when a write off of vacation loans is announced?

Policy cannot be exercised by making gifts to certain social groups, whether they are small or large. When a citizen pays, he must know that everyone else is also paying.

Of course there are also the grandiose donations which the deus ex machina (the bad version) fully prevented.

On Thursday, the 20th of April in 1967, on the even of the coup and a few hours before the tanks rolled out on the streets, the ERE minority government at the time held a ministerial cabinet meeting and decide to write off all farmer debts. This decision was never implemented because before it was to be published, announcements were banned!

PS: The junta would liberally write off traffic tickets on “celebrations”, like when there was a birth in the Royal Palace.

Stavros P. Psycharis

Originally published in the Sunday print edition