It turns out that the 89% relates to the total of taxes uncollected over previous years, which most other countries would have written off as uncollectable debt

It turns out that the 89% relates to the total of taxes uncollected over previous years, which most other countries would have written off as uncollectable debt. As of 2010, Greece collected annual taxes equal to about "34% of the country's total gross domestic product (GDP) - slightly below the EU average of 38.5%." from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33479946 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33479946