However, this prison conditions will not be as harsh as in the Marshalsea prison, where Willam Dorrit spent long time.
Modern Greek imprisoned debtors, for owing the state more than 5,000 euro will “live in humane conditions,” as the ministry of Justice told members of the Parliament on Thursday.
“The state is seeking a military camp within the limits of Attica prefecture for the housing of state debtors charged with prison penalties, ” deputy Justice minister Kostas Karagounis told MPS adding that the special prison for debtors will improve their detention conditions that will be more humane.
Yes, the humane factor will be that they won’t be held together with murderers, drug dealers or robbers.
The plan to build economic prisons is inevitable after the relevant decisions and circulars issued by the Finance Ministry. Last February, the ministry decided to impose even prison penalties to debtors owing the state more than 5,000 euro. Debtors will have a chance to start paying their debts in installments - deadline up to 4 months – before they will be put behind bars.
The Finance Ministry apparently considers prison penalties as the only way to enforce the bankrupt little devil to “give the state what belongs to the state” even that’s emergency property taxes, solidarity tax and trade tax and possible income taxes that can soon sum up to 5,000 euro debt within two years, interests included.
Debts and Prison Penalties - A debtor owing
5,000 euro may go to prison to 12 months
10,000+ euro – at least 6 months
50,000+ euro – at least one year
150,000+ euro – at least three years
Of course, the state would rather proceed to an agreement arranging up to 48 instalments so the debtors could slowly pay the money they owe.
But what if they can’t pay? What if they have no assets that the state can confiscate? They can spend several months in a so-called tax-prison and enjoy humane conditions
And thus in the company of big fish, like businessmen owing the state several million euro or even billions! Like the man arrested on Thursday for allegedly owing the state 6.3 billion euro, as Greek media report.
PS I asked a friend “Will ever those who brought the country to this economic situation go to jail?” His advice was “Omit the question mark!”
Source; Keep Talking Greece
The reality of Greece’s “recovery”
The Greek ruling elite and its media have declared that the Greek economy is now in full “recovery” mode. On this basis, years of savage austerity that condemned millions to poverty and destitution are now described as a “success”.
The reality behind what has been termed a “Grecovery” is that only the financial aristocracy have seen their fortunes restored. For the rest of the population of around 11 million, there has been a drastic reversal in the living standards; a situation worsening by the day.
Source; WSWS
Redundancy and homelessness are grim legacies of austerity measures
In Greece, losing a job often means losing a home
Twenty-seven-year-old Markos has been living on the streets of Athens after the bakery where he worked was forced to close down seven months ago, leaving him jobless.
“I couldn’t find work, so soon I found myself unable to pay for my rent,” he says.
Markos sits in the shade of a tree near a supermarket on Kanari Street, in the capital’s affluent Kolonaki area. He holds a paper sign that reads “homeless” in Greek and an empty plastic cup with a few coins he has collected during the day. He says he survives by selling drawings, and on the charity of passers-by.
“There’s no hope, everything looks black for me now,” he says.
Markos is one of the scores of victims of Greece’s financial crisis which began in 2009.
Source; Independent
