Greeks expect more for their taxes, OECD report finds
Eight in 10 Greeks expect more and better services from the state in light of the taxes they pay, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in a report published on Tuesday.
In its “Risks that Matter” report on the findings of its 2018 survey of 21 member-states, the OECD recorded widespread dissatisfaction with social policy, as well as an underlying sense that the government is not working for, or listening to, the people.
Greece ranked along with Chile, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Portugal and Slovenia, where 80 percent of respondents or more said that they want their government to do more to ensure their economic and social well-being, while in countries like France, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovenia, 70 percent or more feel disregarded by their leaders.
In Greece, meanwhile, only one-quarter or less of respondents said they have access to good-quality and affordable public health care services, while just 6 percent expressed confidence in their ability to access public benefits if the need should arise.
Most Greek respondents (77.8 percent) further believe that there are citizens who are receiving benefits they are not entitled to, pointing to a lack of trust in social an economic policy.
Respondents in five of the surveyed countries, meanwhile, cited making ends meet as their greatest short-term concern, with rates being especially high in crisis-hit Greece (70 percent list it as a top-three risk) and Italy (56 percent).
