Was Theocharis "too succesful?"

German magazine Focus in a recent article deifies Haris Theocharis and blaststhe Greek government describing the removal of the General Secretary of Revenue “a chilling political farce.” An article entitled “Greece removes chief tax collector” in the German magazine says Haris Theocharis was “too successful.”

The report that was posted on the electronic version of Focus, argues that the former Secretary of State Revenue “is the man that Greece urgently needs.” It also describes how Greece is in the midst of the debt crisis largely because many citizens have not been paying taxes for many years and Haris Theocharis had come to change that. Indeed, Focus fully endorses the view of the former General Secretary of Revenue that his removal was due to political rather than economic reasons.

According to Focus quoting Greek press sources, the command to remove Theocharis came from very high up and Focus writes the command “right now” seems to have come from the PM's office.

According to Focus, Theocharis had been pressured to resign by former Finance Minister Stournaras. The article also states that neither Prime Minister Samaras nor Yiannis Stournaras could remove him, as his contract expired in February 2018. It reminds readers that the position of General Secretary of Revenue was created at the insistence of lenders and was independent of the government.

The article notes the achievements of Mr. Theocharis and mainly the use of IT in finances. “Despite his contributions, Theocharis was not lauded by either side,” says Focus, noting that among the few who speak favorably is “well-known grumbler” Theodoros Pangalos, who reportedly believes that the primary surplus is a success, almost exclusively due to Theocharis.