"Black Economy" -Right or wrong?

black-economy?

i feel stupid. we're talking about black-market goods right?

It doesn't matter. If the government doesnt have enough money to pay the EU and IMF loan they'll just bum up 'for nothing in return' taxes like property tax that nobody except our friendly travelling community can escape

Sonnenblumen

What a load of hypocritical rubbish. The Black economy pre-dates most of what you suggest are some of the causes. The black economy is caused by bottom of the barrel dishonesty and cheating. Its just that these days, the cheats are blaming others for their own bad deeds. Hypocrites.

Of course the black economy is caused by bottom of the barrel dishonesty and cheating. There is no denying that. There is also the old chestnut stated by a Government official who has never worked in the private sector in their lives;

"Taxes would be lower if everybody paid them"

Which frankly, is complete bollocks. Governments on the Left wing of the equation view the taxpayer as a bottomless pit to be milked and bled dry. Governments on the Right wing view the taxpayer as a privatised entity to be sold to their cronies at will for milking and bleeding.

Its about perception. Its about responsibilities over rights. Its about avoiding moral hazard. Not only must justice be done, it must be seen to be done.

The Black economy was always there, no doubt about that, and if your back is against the wall financially, your first duty is not to the state. Its to your family and friends.

I do not specifically refer to Ireland, I refer in general, from failed states like Somalia at one end of the spectrum through to success stories such as Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland. I have grown increasingly convinced that the connections of an elite in Ireland are unsustainable for the size of the country. Its simply a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

Bottom of the barrel cheating and dishonesty happen when those at the top are seen to have escaped justice. In terms of business, integrity with customers and colleagues and other parties is crucial. If I don't have that credibility, I do not do business. The same goes for the state. The 1980's were an era of rampant tax evasion and fraud because at the top.....abuses of power were observed. The result is a feedthrough loop.

When it comes to the state.....I have never taken a penny, apart from my education. Beyond that, nothing. Paid medical care myself.....worked since I was 16....and meanwhile.......these Bankers get bailed out. It is repulsive, and the people are expected to pay for someone elses incompetence and mistakes. This is a Weimar Republic style nightmare. Did you elect Holohan, Fitzpatrick, or Timothy Geithner? No.....you did'nt, I did'nt, yet they are making momentous, morally questionable decisions that will affect Billions of people in terms of the chain reaction and contagion they cause.

On the other hand, do I expect German taxpayers to continue forking out money to fund irresponsible and immature regimes hundreds of kilometers away from their borders. I don't.

I used the black economy when I was badly paid and when I was a student because there simply was no choice in the matter. It was a matter of survival, where an extra twenty quid a week was the difference between savings and debt. It does'nt sound like much, but twenty quid saved is as good as twenty earned.

If you seriously believe for one minute that what I said is hypocrisy, then I have Twenty Five Million Dollars frozen in a Bank account in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa. If you transfer $2,500 to my account, I can give you 10% commission once those funds are released.

Self interest will win out against a faceless and unaccountable state.

Neither you nor I can unravel the crisis hitting Ireland, Europe and the World. But.....honesty and transparency on the part of those in charge would solve many many problems. Until then, do not expect all society to be honest. I can pay a subscription to the Ku Klux Klan using a credit card, why not Wikileaks?

What I said is not hypocrisy, its the truth, and you cannot handle the truth.