doesn’t Chile have a socialist President right now, in the vein of Chavez and Kirchner?
Yes. That's my point. But, go into a shop, they'll say "en effectivo?" (cash) and you pay cash and there's no taxes paid.
Wanna' park in downtown Santiago (or any other city in the Free World)? There will be a guy to find you a spot, feed your meter, wash it for a pittance. Even under the "socialist" government. If anybody tried that in any city in the USSA, they'd be beaten up by union goons and imprisoned by cops.
We've forgotten what freedom is.