Clampdown on 1.15 million uninsured vehicles

The owners of more than 1.15 million uninsured vehicles in Greece have received an electronic message via Taxisnet from the Independent Authority for Public Revenue asking them to pay the stamp duty of 250 euros as dictated by law and then insure their cars.

This represents the enforcement of a law passed three years ago concerning uninsured vehicles which is being implemented en masse at great delay.

There are several cases concerning the former owners of cars and motorbikes that show there has been no cross-checking of the Finance Ministry's database on road tax payments with insurers' records, leading to a series of mistakes: For instance, cars that have been sold or stolen remain registered to their previous owners, who have received the warning via Taxisnet.

The IAPR informs owners of uninsured vehicles that they can pay through its own website. However, in...