fakelaki

Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou says one of the biggest challenges facing the government's austerity plan is that few Greeks believe it will ever be implemented. This is the ninth such effort in 10 years. Previous plans were abandoned after protests from angry workers.

"People have a hard time believing that we're actually going to do what we say we are going to do. We are battling against perceptions, and perceptions change only when people see you are implementing your agenda," Papaconstantinou says.

There are other challenges, too. Athens must find a way to curb rampant tax evasion in the country. It's estimated that one-third of Greek taxpayers do not declare their income.

Widespread corruption also is a drain on both the government and the Greek people. Each year, nearly every Greek family spends about $2,500 in bribes. People call them fakelaki, which is the Greek word for "envelopes." And fakelaki help secure just about anything in the public sector — from a vehicle inspection to a building license.

Papaconstantinou says Greeks pay huge bribes in the health sector, too.

"They have to pay for a doctor, for a hospital operation, which in theory is free," he says. "What has been lost is this bond of trust between the state and the citizen, and this is what we need to put back together."
Via NPR