Independent Authority for Public Revenue

Two tax inspectors came under attack while checking the books of a pizza restaurant in the seaside village of Platanias near Volos in central Greece on Thursday, with one of the two officials having to be hospitalized with a fractured arm.

The out-of-court settlement mechanism for corporate debts to banks has been an unqualified failure, as only 24 enterprises have so far entered into an arrangement for their dues with their creditor banks.

As of the last quarter of this year, the Independent Authority for Public Revenue is set to start piloting an online bookkeeping system for companies in a bid to spare Greek enterprises the hefty administrative costs of conventional bookkeeping that compromise their competitiveness, the authority's head Giorgos Pitsilis announced on Thursday.

The improved terms for businesses to join the 120-tranche debt repayment plan were voted into law on Tuesday night in Parliament, after state debtors showed little interest in the previous government's settlement scheme, according to tax authority data.

More than 1 million taxpayers have not yet submitted their statements, less than 10 days before the expiry of the deadline, risking a fine for late submission.

The elections put the brakes on bank savings confiscations by the tax authorities, according to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue. May data saw a decline to just 6,002 confiscations against 10,673 in May 2018. From the start of the year to the end of May, 43,104 confiscations were carried out.

Giorgos Pitsilis, the head of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, has been appointed president of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) for the 2019-2020 period, it was announced Thursday.

The tax administration is planning more than 50,000 inspections around the country from July 1 to October 31, with an emphasis on regions which are witnessing increased tourism traffic.

The inability of the Finance Ministry's political administration to expand the online transaction requirement for the tax discount from 10 percent to 15-20 percent, over fears of taxpayer reactions, has contained the growth rate of card transactions in Greece.

The 2 million taxpayers who have already filed their income tax declarations for this year may now correct any mistakes on their online statements without incurring a fine. This is provided they do so by June 30, or any extended deadline the Finance Ministry announces for statement submission.