Now this bit of news we liked! According to recent press reports Thesaloniki shoppers in cooperation with municipal authorities joined forces in an effort to crack down on fake and imitation goods which are sold on the black market and do not add one penny to the economy. In such a framework they reportedly seized and destroyed well over 60,550 imitation products such as perfumes, watches, and other items.
(Example - They discovered, and then destroyed 625 boxes containing 45,000 colognes which would of generated an estimated profit of EUR 5,000,000, 1,150mln of which would have gone to the State. They also demolished around 311 other boxes containing 15,550 watches usually sold at a price of 15 euros each by illegal street vendors, make the calculations yourself on this one).
Small step for Greek merchants... still a giant leap for the black market because such goods have been confiscated before, and as always pop up on some other street corner a few yards away. Also, in order for them to be destroyed they need specific equipment which can only be provided by local authorities!
Yes you heard correctly special equipment!
And it is for this very reason that we here at HellasFrappe decided to analyze this bit of news for you today and give you something to think about. (Or at state our opinion.. and we stress this is just our opinion)
Who can guarantee us that when authorities seize confiscated goods they are not re-channelled back to the black market? If someone needs special equipment that can only be provided by authorities to do so... then we suspect that some Mayors in several towns are making a killing by supposedly confiscating goods so that they can show their voters that they are actually cracking down on the bad guys, and then re-sending them back on the streets to be sold at another corner. Think about it for a minute. This way they keep everyone happy, (or more exactly their voters and the crooks). We bet that with the limited budgets that they have to operate their cities, following the Kalikratis law many Mayors are having a field day with this one!
This explains why they can't rid their cities of these goods. It's crystal clear!
We believe that they probably make money by issuing the permits to people who do not fit the criteria to sell items in the marketplace, then make more money by turning the other way during routine checks, and finally make a little extra spare change after confiscating the goods and releasing them back to their criminal owners.
This time it was Thessaloniki Mayor Ioannis Boutaris turn to provide the right machinery to destroy these products, not because he wanted to make a profit.. but certainly because he has been turning the cheek on this problem in his city for quite some time now and this has affected his popularity with his voters. Also.. this was his golden opportunity to polish up his image a bit, since he was a proud supporter of the PASOK party, and especially George Papandreou, who we all know is not really ever going to win the "Man of the Year" award with Thessaloniki voters.
The truth is if any local authority actually wanted to make a difference in their city, and wipe it clean from the black market -or at least hit it hard- then they would follow the example of Piraeus Mayor Mr. Michaloliakos, who rolled up his sleeves descended to the streets and worked together closely with the shop owners to rid his city of these goods once and for all.
And the results were noticeable immediately.
Take it from this author who actually lives there.
It is very rare to see contraband items and illegal goods being sold at marketplaces in this part of Attiki, because quite simply Mr. Michaloliakos will not tolerate it in respect to his commercial community.
Obviously if you are still seeing images of imitation goods being sold in your neck of the woods, don't just complain to the little guy who is trying to make a quick buck, but take it to a higher level and find out if your mayor recently bought a Mercedes convertible... this should be evidence enough to take action.
Reference the news part of the article and view the photos that were taken by Thessaloniki citizens at the following address: http://www.demotix.com/news/1438163/customers-destroy-60550-imitation-products-greece#slide-1
Posts
