Six days less we will work this year, compared to 2024, to pay their taxes and contributions In the state, and today, Wednesday, June 25, on “Tax Freedom Day”, we are working to meet our other needs.
However, we needed 175 days of work (about half a year) to … clean with taxes and contributions, according to the “Tax Freedom Day” methodology, which is based on European Commission data (AMECO), as the study of the day of tax freedom shows for 10th year.
This is the lowest tax burden since 2011, a development that brought the country closer to the European average (175 days) and pushed it to 11th place in EU countries on the “scale” of tax burdens.
According to the basic conclusions of the study:
The tax burden on numbers
June 25th is the day of tax freedom for 2025, according to forecasts for this year’s tax revenue and insurance contributions. This year we will work for the state 175 from 365 days of the year, 6 days less than 2024.
This year’s 175 -day working days for the state represents the lowest tax burden since 2011.
From 2019 to this year’s forecasts for 2025, the tax burden has been reduced by 6 days, from 181 to 175 days.
According to the European Commission’s reports, in 2024 we worked for the state 181 days (IFE: July 1st).
Greece’s position in the EU
Among the EU Member States, Greece has the 11th largest tax burden for 2025, reaching the EU average (175 days).
Among the EU Member States, Greece has its 4th best performance in reducing tax burden from 2019 to 2025, improving its performance by 2 positions (from 9th highest in 2019 to 11th higher in 2025).
Indirect and direct taxes: developments and trends
As for the tax policy mix that is followed in Greece, in 2025 the ratio of state revenue from indirect taxes (taxes on consumption) will be further reduced (tax and wealth taxes).
In 2023, the indirect taxes collected were twice as high as direct taxes, marking the highest ratio since 1995, the year from which data is available. In 2025, indirect tax revenue is expected to be about 1.5 times higher than direct taxes.
The main source of indirect taxes is VAT, which in 2024 reached 70.2% of total indirect taxes, compared to 68.8% in 2023.
Revenue overpayment increases tax burden
In recent years, there has been an overdose of tax revenue, which ultimately increases the tax burden. Thus, while the budget report on 2025 states that the year 2024 budgeted about 35.1 billion taxes on goods and services, the latest estimates report revenue of around $ 36.4 billion (+3.5%).
Correspondingly, in the year 2024, about 21.6 billion in income tax revenue had been budgeted and the latest estimates report revenue of $ 24.2 billion (+11.8%). In income tax revenue, revenue raised as a tax tax (+17.3%) were higher.
KEFIME General Manager Nikos Robapas said: “The decline in tax burden is a good news for households and businesses. However, achieving surpluses in recent years shows that there is a significant room for further reduction in taxation in the direction of the most dynamic growth of the economy. “
The study of the day of tax freedom published each year by KEFIM calculates the day that Greek taxpayers would be released from the burden of taxes, if with the money they earned from work they had to repay their obligations to the state before meeting their own needs. In other words, it attempts to approach the tax burden on citizens by applying the Tax Foundation methodology.