CHRISTINE LAGARDE, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, has used her Facebook page to insist she is “very sympathetic to the Greek people”, while reiterating that its elite must pay their fair share of taxes.
Ms Lagarde’s post followed the publication of an interview with the Guardian newspaper where she said children in Africa needed more help than the Greeks and that many in the country were “trying to escape tax all the time”.
A front-page Guardian article referencing the interview was headlined “It’s payback time: don’t expect sympathy – Lagarde to Greeks”. In a post that attracted more than 8,000 comments, many written in Greek, Ms Lagarde said the IMF was supporting Greece through its financial crisis.
“An important part of this effort is that everyone should carry their fair share of the burden, especially the most privileged and especially in terms of paying their taxes.”
Tensions are expected to remain high in Europe this week following Spanish lender Bankia’s admission it is to seek state aid of €19 billion.
–(Additional reporting: Bloomberg)
