Taxes: The 17 tourist areas that are targeted by tax auditors

The Independent Public Revenue Authority – AADE will be landing on 12 islands and 5 tourist land destinations in view of the tourist season to reduce tax evasion mainly of VAT and to increase tax revenues. In fact, for this purpose, it is strengthening the staff in the respective Tax Bureaus for the months of July, August and September.

The focus of the tax auditors will be the Aegean islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Paros but also areas of Peloponnese, Halkidiki and Evia with intense tourist traffic.

According to the plan, the inspections will be carried out on a daily basis, even on holidays, in the morning, afternoon and evening. Emphasis is placed on the issuance of receipts and documents and in case of violations will be activated the prescribed measures such as fines and shutdowns.

In the context of the implementation of the Business Plan for the year 2022, the manager of AADE, Giorgos Pitsilis, gave an order to intensify the performance of some on-site audits, both for the control of the fulfillment of the tax obligations, the keeping of the books and the issuance of the tax data. recording information on the behavior of taxpayers, which are registered and used to carry out further actions of the Tax Administration, with the ultimate goal of locating the hidden taxable material for taxpayers who carry out any activity or transact in goods.

For the implementation of the audit plan, the following Tax Offices will be strengthened with personnel of the following tax offices:
–   Agios Nikolaos

–   Aigion

–  Thera

–   Corfu

–   Komotini

–   Kymi

–   Kos

–   Mykonos

–   Naxos

–   Nafplio

–   Paros

–   Polygyrou

–   Preveza

–  Rethymno

–   Samos

–   Syros

–   Chania

Shutdowns and fines

For taxpayers, the law allows auditors to enforce business closures, as follows:

– Immediately for 48 hours, if the non-issuance or inaccurate issuance of more than 10 foreseen sales documents is established, by the same control, or, regardless of the number, the net value of the goods or services for which no sales documents were issued or they were issued inaccurately exceeds 500 euros.

– Without delay for 96 hours, if, within the same or the next tax year from the findings of the above case, it is re-established in the same or in another professional establishment belonging to the same taxable entity the non-issuance or the inaccurate issuance of at least 3 sales documents, by the same control, regardless of their value.

– Without delay for 10 days, every time within 2 tax years the non-issuance or the incorrect issuance of at least 3 sales documents is ascertained, by the same control, regardless of their value.

– In any case of violation of the suspension of operation of the professional installation, ie breaking of the seal that has been placed, an additional suspension of operation is imposed each time for 10 days.

Strict sanctions for obstruction of control

In case the execution of any kind of on-site tax audit is prevented by use of force or threats against the auditing bodies of AADE, the operation of the relevant company is suspended for up to 1 month.

In cases of threatening to use force with weapons or other objects that may cause bodily harm or danger to the life of an AADE employee or use of force that resulted in bodily harm or danger to life or that could cause bodily harm or risk to the life of an AADE employee, during and due to the performance of his service, are cumulatively imposed:

A special fine of  10,000 to 50,000 euros for the perpetrator of the above acts, and

– suspension of operation of the professional establishment of the perpetrator of the above acts from two months to six months and from six months to three years in case of recurrence.