There are so many reasons why we do not have to respect cultures that are ... at the very least, tainted. Amazing.
Corruption rife in Greece On average Greeks pay €1,355 a year in bribes!
...for hospital fees, driving licences and planning permits
02.03.2010 - 11:28 UHR
Corruption is an everyday part of life in Greece – so much so that an average Greek pays €1,355 in bribes each year!
Are the cheating Greeks wrecking the Euro with their debt drama? The currency has been weakening for weeks, and at the same time revelations about Greece’s financial mess have been coming to light every day.
Transparency International (TI) has reported that corruption is at the heart of the Greek economy.
Greeks have to pay to have their application for a driving licence speeded up, for planning permission, to receive treatment in a public hospital or to have the results of a tax assessment manipulated.
The German newspaper 'Die Welt' published the TI study, which reveals that on average every Greek paid €1,355 in bribes in 2009 and €1,374 in 2008.
Corruption also exists in the private sector. Greeks pay on average €1,671 in bribes to lawyers, doctors or banks, which are usually given as cash in hand. The Greeks paid €1,575 on average in 2008.
Opinion research institute Public Issue carried out the questionnaire, in which 6,122 Greek citizens took part in, at the request of Transparency International.
Corruption is so rife that 13.4 per cent of respondents even demanded bribe money from those carrying out the questionnaire!
According to 'Die Welt', Transparency International's calculations suggest that Greek households paid in total €787 million in bribes in 2009, with €462 million going to public services and €325 million to the private sector.
The total sum given in bribes has risen by 23 per cent in only two years: the corruption research institute calculated that €639 million was paid in total in 2007.
Greece
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