Islam Times - German tax inspector ready to descend on Greece

Islam Times - More than 160 German tax collectors have volunteered for possible assignments in Greece to help the debt-ridden country in its tax collection, Berlin finance ministry says.

The plan announced by the Finance department secretary of state Hans Bernhard Beus comes just weeks after Europe rejected a German move for the appointment of a "budget commissioner" to monitor the Greek government's financial management.

On Monday, Germany's parliament supported a second bailout for Greece despite growing opposition on Chancellor Angela Merkel from the public for wasting billions on the indebted Greece.

As Europe’s richest economy, Germany must contribute more than any other country in the Greece’s EUR 130 billion bailout fund.

In order to receive the bailout funds, Greece has agreed to fire dozens of underperforming tax inspectors in the coming months.

Last month, The Greek government named 4,152 individuals that owe the state a combined EUR 14.9 billion in unpaid taxes after months of warning tax evaders to pay up or risk being named and shamed.

Tax evasions have resulted in a shortfall in tax revenues for the state of around EUR 37 bn.

Greece has the highest debt burden in proportion to the size of its economy in the 17-nation eurozone. Despite austerity cuts and the bailout funds, the country has been in recession since 2009.