Greeks too hard to die…

Greece is a nation that is ageing demographically. A problem facing most developed countries. This fact is compounding the crisis-stricken nation, with more people retiring and less moving into the workforce to make up for the necessary pension funds to cover the retirees. The problem becomes even more pronounced in these times when the country is faced with tough austerity measures, including more pensionand social welfare cuts, which got even tougher after the deal with EU institutions Monday morning.

They are tough lot

A series of VAT hikes in different sectors of the economy was one of the prerequisites for Greece to receive a 3-year bailout plan. Even under in such difficult times some Greeks can see the comical side of these ‘blitzkrieg’ measures. In particular a 23% VAT on funeral parlors has been received with some humor by ordinary Greeks. “We won’t even be able to die now with the new VAT on funerals”, or “I don’t think I’ll die, it’s too expensive” are some of the sayings circulating.