Greece is a nation that is ageing demographically, a problem faced by many developed countries. This fact is compounding the crisis-stricken nation, with more people retiring and less moving into the workforce to make up for the necessary pension funds contributions to cover the retirees.

The problem becomes even more pronounced in these times when the country is faced with tougher austerity measures, including more pension and social welfare cuts, which got even tougher after a deal with EU institutions Monday morning.

They are tough lot

A series of VAT hikes in different sectors of the economy was one of the prerequisites for Greece to receive a 3-year bailout plan. Even under in such difficult times some Greeks can see the comical side of these ‘blitzkrieg’ measures. In particular a 23% VAT on funeral parlor services has been received with some humor by ordinary Greeks.

“We won’t even be able to die now with the new VAT on funerals”, or, “I don’t think I’ll die, it’s too expensive” are some of the (slightly corny) sayings circulating.