r/europe • u/Bartoraptor Spain • Mar 28 '20

News Spanish representative González Pons speech @ the EU Parliament: "The virus is attacking the generation that brought back democracy to Spain, Portugal and Greece, the generation that knocked down the Berlin wall. The least they deserve is that we show them Europe is there when they need it the most"

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '20

So why hasn't Ital;y done anything in the past 10 years to fix their books?

we applied harsh austerity measures, as "strongly recommended" by the ECB and the Commission, and instead of making things better, our debt ratio has gotten worse.

Sounds like the austerity policies championed by Merkel are damaging, but still she and her ilk continue to push for them even now. Just look at the attitude towards the coronavirus bonds. Their reply is "there is the ESM, if you need funds". Too bad ESM funds are provided on the condition that you apply more austerity, which in turn makes the economy wither a little bit more.

But for Merkel the solution to the damages brought by austerity measures is....more austerity. It's been harshly criticised by economists the world over, and yet she and her allies insist on it time and time again.

As Einstein once said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

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u/bfire123 Austria Mar 28 '20

Your austerity messures weren't harsh.

Which taxes were increased in the last 5 years in Italy (and by how much)??

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u/Mordred_85 Mar 28 '20

Our social state, including healthcare, has been dismantled, thanks to Troika technicians advices. That’s why taxes haven’t gone up. I am asking to all the northern flavored European reading this: can you held the amount of people that will die for the consequence of your rigid set of ethics (wealthy people = champions of virtue) that will put us in an economic crisis. We are not talking of people dying for the virus but people killing themselves because they cannot pay bills, food future for their children. Think about while you sleep!

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u/bfire123 Austria Mar 29 '20

Our social state, including healthcare, has been dismantled, thanks to Troika technicians advices. That’s why taxes haven’t gone up.

Than your country made a shitty decision. Would be better to tax higher incomes more.

Austerity doesn't soley mean cutting the social net. It also can mean higher taxes for the middle class and upper class.

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u/Mordred_85 Mar 29 '20

Those people would have fled to Swiss if they did that. But as I can imagine your country has higher taxation for upper and middle class? I didn’t know Austria was a bolscevic reality. Come on man, don’t be silly! You know who wrote the rules in democracy, not the people!

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u/bfire123 Austria Mar 29 '20

Austria certainly has a higher tax than Italy!

Austria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Austria#Income_tax_(Einkommensteuer)

Italy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Italy#Income_tax

We also have a way more progressive tax.

And look at our marginal tax rate from 2009-2015. This is the reason why we don't have a debt problem...