Corfu?

Pixbarmy

Pixbarmy

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We've been to Corfu many times over the years, going right back to the early 70's. It was always a bit "rustic", with dodgy plumbing (no flushing loo paper), electrics and "hairy" roads! It started to improve as more tourism took off. It has, however ( in my humble opinion) suffered from a lack of investment. We have kept up with the island, using an online newspaper ( https://enimerosi.com/en ) and have noticed over the last few years that the youngsters seem to be leaving in droves (no work in the winter) and they are being replaced by "foreign" workers. We have also heard reports of an increase in crime on the island!

For us, the final straw was when our usual hotel, failed to ensure guests safety, with dodgy footpaths (essential for us oldies on hilly terrain). We then tried Menorca and it was like chalk and cheese. Don't get me wrong, we love Corfu and the Corfiote folks but safety first at our age. It seems that the bean counters have spent too much on paying shareholders and not enough on maintaining standards. Way of the world???

Kalispera / kalinichta.
 
I bought a house in Greece, on Crete about 7 years ago with a view to retiring there about now and decided not to for similar reasons.
The Greeks have gone tax mad, they almost tax you for breathing, desperately trying to get there financial situation back in the black
which frankly you cannot as the Greeks see tax evasion as a sport , get yourself to the Canary Islands, thats where i ended up :-)
 
We love Greece and have been to various islands and the mainland lots of times. The prices have shot up in recent years… Greece used to a be a cheap holiday but not any more.

Tried Madeira @Pixbarmy? It’s a lovely island with very low crime. The only downside really is there’s not many beaches, if that’s your thing.
 
boogie man said:
We love Greece and have been to various islands and the mainland lots of times. The prices have shot up in recent years… Greece used to a be a cheap holiday but not any more.

Tried Madeira @Pixbarmy? It’s a lovely island with very low crime. The only downside really is there’s not many beaches, if that’s your thing.
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its all about taxes with Greece now, bars and restaurant's also get fined now if they do not issue receipts to prove they are charging and paying the tax
 
Mr Bump said:
its all about taxes with Greece now, bars and restaurant's also get fined now if they do not issue receipts to prove they are charging and paying the tax
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All the places that we used to go and pay in cash, were going card only. The staff were not happy!!! ;)
 
Pixbarmy said:
All the places that we used to go and pay in cash, were going card only. The staff were not happy!!! ;)
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even if you pay cash they have to by law give you a digital printed receipt if they don't you can actually report the bar/restaurant and they get a 100 euro fine.
sadly the greeks are in the position they are in because of they own silliness, up until recently all tax was pretty much self declaration even if you were a permie with the government :ROFLMAO:
 
Mr Bump said:
its all about taxes with Greece now, bars and restaurant's also get fined now if they do not issue receipts to prove they are charging and paying the tax
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Was always the way even in the days of the drachma , I got ripped off price wise for a few cases of ciggies years ago ,went back to the shop but she conveniently couldn’t speak English ten minutes after my purchase when she could … so I spotted a couple of tourist cops in a bar and explained to one I had been ripped off showed him the receipt and the fags with the tax discs still in place , we all went back to the shop as I only wanted the difference refunded ,, but the lady decided to argue with the policeman who drew out his pistol and pointed it at her head ..
I got my refund and a gift bottle of ouzo and when I passed a hour later the police were pulling the shop apart , cigarette case by case they don’t like tax dodgers
 
I remember about 20/25 years ago seeing a Greek police roadblock enforcing their helmet laws, using 2 motorbike cops. After which the cops rode off without their lids on...
(Just around the corner from the checkpoint was a gaggle of scooters and bikes who had been tipped off by others, just waiting for the way to be clear.)
 
boogie man said:
We love Greece and have been to various islands and the mainland lots of times. The prices have shot up in recent years… Greece used to a be a cheap holiday but not any more.

Tried Madeira @Pixbarmy? It’s a lovely island with very low crime. The only downside really is there’s not many beaches, if that’s your thing.
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Corfu....The island, by all accounts, is infested with mosquitos. We were thinking about a holiday until I read Tripadvisor posts about that and now what I've read in this thread. That will be a no-no.

By the way. We were in Madeira in November and were unexpectedly charged a 'tourism' tax of €25 when we booked in and we'd gone with Tui so thought everything was paid up.

No tourusm tax here on Tenerife.
 
Pixbarmy said:
All the places that we used to go and pay in cash, were going card only. The staff were not happy!!! ;)
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On a holiday in the Algarve ..six years ago,maybe ...and another on Skiathos..a 15 minute bus ride to Skiathos town , some years ago..10 ?...the Skiathos lady said that my wife couldn't pay for a couple of dresses by card because the battery in the card reader had failed . I can still see the 'untruthful' expression and forced smile on her face ..."you're lying".., I thought. I can't recall the reason the Albufeira shopkeeper said he couldn't take a card..for €50 ..for non-prescriptive sunglasses to fit over prescriptive sunglasses..good quality ...and we had to pay cash. Obviously, tax evasion in both cases.
 
It was top on the list of why i didn't retire to the Greece house and instead decided to sell it and buy in Gran Canaria ,
corruption and tax evasion is literally a sport in Greece and that knocks on to poor infrastructure and public services, given also i would have to declare all my pension income and pay tax there it just left a bad taste in my mouth when even the family i rented my house to ( prior to selling it) were running a small restaurant on cash I decided it was not for me, cost me a lot more in property to but in GC but i feel much happier doing so.
 
Love Greece and go around twice a year. Always Crete for two weeks and always same place. Owner gives big discount for cash. Naxos as well this year and Hotel also given us a discount for cash.
Very rarely pay by credit card. Wouldn’t live there or retire there but visiting a couple of times a year is lovely.
 
Craig1912 said:
Love Greece and go around twice a year. Always Crete for two weeks and always same place. Owner gives big discount for cash. Naxos as well this year and Hotel also given us a discount for cash.
Very rarely pay by credit card. Wouldn’t live there or retire there but visiting a couple of times a year is lovely.
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yep and that is the issue pure and simple, massive tax evasion
 
We pay for everything in cash when on holiday. Never been pressured to do so and (AFAIK) no special price for doing so.

Don't judge everyone by your standards...
 
Craig1912 said:
Yep and it’s been that way for the 40 years I’ve been going there
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it has and as above that is why sadly i sold my house there and switched my house in the sun to GC i just couldn't square it.

All Greeks argue and fight over politics about public spending but evade as much tax as they possibly can, there hospitals and education system is in tatters.
 
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Only been to Greece once and it was a looong time ago. Back then on the islands you'd see part built houses with the upper floors complete but the ground floor a windowless shell. It was because the owner paid duty/tax whatever as soon as the ground floor was finished, so of course it never was.
 
Steep said:
Only been to Greece once and it was a looong time ago. Back then on the islands you'd see part built houses with the upper floors complete but the ground floor a windowless shell. It was because the owner paid duty/tax whatever as soon as the ground floor was finished, so of course it never was.
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yes that type of thing was abolished years ago but there are still a lot of odd things you get taxed on now
like if you have a tow bar fitted that's extra to have your car docs updated for its MOT , also a pergola in your garden is classed as an extension, bonkers.

every single person has an accountant who's job is to basically enable them to commit tax fraud :ROFLMAO:
 
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