Taxation in Greece

Greek and German authorities agreed Jan. 16 to step up their cooperation on tax evasion, with information supplied by Germany already being used to probe thousands of Greeks suspected of stashing money in Swiss accounts.

Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis left open the possibility of abolishing VAT on Greek islands that which face social and economic problems caused by the mass influx of refugees, while speaking in Parliament on Friday.

According to a statement issued by Ministry of Finance the deadline for the payment of car registration fees will be extended until Friday, January 8, 2016, stressing that there will be no other extension.

There will be no retroactive taxes for 2015, according to the Finance Ministry. There will be an obligation to make purchases with credit cards in 2016, however senior citizens over 75 years of age or those living in isolated regions will be excluded from this rule.

Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis on Tuesday dismissed press reports regarding retrospective tax increases on 2015 incomes.

“There are no plans for retrospective tax increases. This is a lie,” he said in statements to Real FM.

A ministerial meeting was held on Friday to discuss how the government will proceed regarding the data of the bank accounts of Greek citizens in Switzerland received by Germany.

Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis invited Greek tax evaders to reveal their secret stash of undeclared funds kept abroad or in Greece by offering new incentives to declare these in a bill that will soon be tabled in Greek Parliament.

The moment of truth has arrived for six million Greek property owners. Taxisnet is now ready to offer notices concerning the joint property taxes (ENFIA) amounts that need to be paid by the end of October.

The Ministry of Finance has yet to reach a decision concerning car circulation registration fees for 2015. Ordinarily, these would need to be posted on Taxisnet, the government’s site within a forgnight, however there is still turmoil concerning the rates for this year.

The Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government may have promised to scrap the controversial joint property tax (ENFIA), but it is now backtracking on its plans. Not only is it going to keep the crushing land tax in tact, but it will be extended to include real estate property owned by Greek citizens outside Greece.