In a knit growth is the extended plan check applied by the competent authorities (AADEetc.) to the popular tourist destinations of the country, with the aim of combating tax evasion and protecting public space.
The section of controls (AADE, etc.) covers thousands of seasonal businesses, from hotels and rooms to let’s to taverns, beach bars and beach concessions, creating a close surveillance environment throughout the tourist season.
Checks have already begun in the first weeks of the summer season, with AADE teams visiting organized islands, continental destinations and coastal areas. They now use modern media: tablets, portable scanners and direct access to business profiles through the Mydata system. The crossings are made in real time, while businesses showing inconsistencies or indications of income concealment are under further control.
For the first time, the tax enforcement measure for those businesses that have a history of relapse or are considered high risk is also implemented. AADE activates the provisions of the new Code of Tax Procedure, which allows for tax collection in advance in cases of documented suspicion of tax evasion, even before filing a statement. Thus, businesses that are used to “disappear” after the tourist season, without paying taxes and VAT, are found in time.
The company can be checked twice: initially from a mixed step that conducts general inspection and then by a second workshop of the YEDE or a different region, based on the data already collected. Each visit is accompanied by a recording of all transactions so that they are directly comparable to tax data.
Particular emphasis is also placed on the control of businesses operating on beaches. Supervision covers both legal issues – such as concessions, licenses and Natura areas – as well as practical issues, such as arbitrary umbrellas, bars or other constructions. The concessions are now done exclusively through the eauctions.gsis.gr platform, while 6,500 contracts are already active and more than 1,200 new concessions are under auction.
In the meantime, only in the two months of May – June, the Treasury received more than 3,000 complaints of illegalities and arbitrariness on the beaches. Of these, 2,667 were submitted in June and another 300 in May. More than half have already been checked, with fines reaching or exceeding 60,000 euros.
The geographical distribution of violations shows that East Attica (396 complaints), Halkidiki, Magnesia (189), Rhodes (164) and Preveza (133) are in the first place. Violations mainly concern arbitrary constructions and blocking free access to the sea.
Violators face strict administrative measures: fines of up to 60,000 euros, immediate removal acts, business interruption, cash registers sealing, as well as exclusion from future beach concessions for up to 10 years. For illegalities in excess of or without concession, the fine is set as four times the legal exchange, while the penalties are increased in the event of a recurrence.
The controls are already carried out by mixed scales, but drones for aerial photographic surveillance are now being recruited in areas such as Mykonos, Paros, Halkidiki, Crete and Rhodes. The material is integrated into the Mycoast application, which is a valuable tool for both citizens and audit authorities. The use of satellite images and digital mapping extend the controls to even the most remote beaches.
The Ministry of Finance states that it now has the necessary institutional and technological arsenal to ensure legality, protect public space and equal treatment of all businesses. Focus controls, tourist accommodation and beach concessions will intensify as August approaches, with the aim of eliminating the images of nonsense that characterized previous summers.