Category: Greece
Greece attracts affluent foreigners with large tax breaks
World's high net-worth individuals targeted by the Greece government through new programme. ... - Continue reading
Greece forces citizens to spend more online in tax evasion crackdown
Greeks will be forced to spend around a third of their income using electronic means if they want to avoid substantial fines designed to stamp out rampant tax evasion. ... - Continue reading
Cyprus: Approach Of Greek Authorities In Determining A Valid Foreign Proof Of Tax Residence
In Greece, an individual who has moved abroad must file an application to the local authorities in order to demonstrate a new address should they wish to change their status from resident to non-tax resident. Such an application is typically filed by March 10th of the year following the year… – Continue reading
Greek Inspectors Pose as Clients to Combat ‘Airbnb’-Type Tax Evasion
The Greek authorities are trying to battle tax evasion said to be rampant among the thousands of owners of Airbnb-type properties. Lacking a mechanism to monitor the short-term leasing of lodgings, inspectors have been doing random checks with the aim of identifying taxpayers that do not declare their extra income…. – Continue reading
Greeks turn to bank cards for tax avoidance
ATHENS, June 30 (Xinhua)– As Greece is loosening its capital controls imposed in 2015 to avert the collapse of banking system amid debt crisis, Greeks are increasingly using bank cards for tax avoidance rather than cash withdrawal limits. According to recent figures from the central Bank of Greece, more than… – Continue reading
Authorities Suspend Business Licenses on Mykonos and Paros for Tax Evasion
Tax authorities suspended the licenses of businesses across Greece after audits showed blatant cases of tax evasion, reported the Athens News Agency. On Mykonos, authorities confiscated the license and plates of a vehicle of a business that was offering luxury transport services with a mini van, without being registered with… – Continue reading
Ambitious Tax System Changes Still Necessary In Greece: OECD
In the OECD’s latest report for the country, Greece has been urged to broaden its tax base and further clamp down on tax evasion. While praising steps taken by Greece to implement recommendations in its last report, the OECD says Greece’s tax system still relies on high rates and narrow… – Continue reading
Greece Raises BEPS Concerns With Bulgaria
The heads of the Greek and Bulgarian tax authorities have met to discuss ways in which bilateral cooperation can be boosted with a view to reducing levels of tax avoidance and evasion, particularly with respect to Greek companies shifting profits to Bulgaria. “The major issue of tax avoidance by Greek… – Continue reading
Bulgaria and Greece step up exchange of information to combat tax evasion
The head of the revenue agencies of Bulgaria and Greece have held talks on continuing and deepening co-operation on exchanging information and countering tax evasion, the National Revenue Agency in Sofia said on January 22. Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency head, Galya Dimitrova, and her Greek counterpart Georgios Pitsilis discussed issues… – Continue reading
Greece tops OECD taxation hike chart
Greece ranked first out of 35 OECD countries in tax hikes last year, according to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the budget for 2018 will lead to an even greater tax burden that will stifle growth, the Parliament’s Budget Office (PBO) warned on Thsurday…. – Continue reading
The clause that implicitly calls for tax evasion
Freelance professionals in Greece may declare as low an income as they wish in order to avoid paying taxes, solidarity levies and social security contributions. This year’s tax statements showed that 89 percent of them declared annual takings below 7,000 euros. One might assume that declaring a very low income… – Continue reading
Greek Revenue Services, US IRS Sign Agreement for Tax Data Exchange
The US IRS announced this week on its website that the US has entered into a bilateral competent authority agreement with Greece to exchange country-by-country reports on multinationals. The agreement between the IRS and the Greek Independent Authority for Public Revenue, signed September 27, puts into effect a 2015 deal… – Continue reading
Monitoring reduces tax dodging on Cyclades and at bars and eateries
The increased number of inspections at food service establishments this summer appear to have paid off in areas with high rates of tax dodging by enterprises. According to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, bars and restaurants are no longer the worst offenders in terms of tax evasion. This unenviable… – Continue reading
Greece-US joint initiative to tackle tax evasion tabled in Parliament
A memorandum of understanding between Greece and the United States that aims to fight tax evasion and money laundering was submitted to parliament on Friday by the finance ministry. The agreement will help with implementation of the US’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA), which was enacted in 2014. As… – Continue reading
Greece raising taxes when other countries slashing them
Greece is defying the prevalent trend among the world’s industrialized nations for reducing tax rates in order to boost investment and competitiveness, a report published on Wednesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has shown. According to the report, in contrast to the majority of… – Continue reading
Tax evasion burns a hole in state budget
Instead of raising state revenues, as was intended, the increased demands on self-employed professionals in terms of taxes and social security contributions have resulted in increased tax evasion, confirming the Finance Ministry’s worst fears. Data show that incomes declared earlier this year by self-employed professionals in their 2016 tax statements… – Continue reading
Worldwide: Italy And Greece Among Most Complex Places In The World For Accounting And Tax Compliance
Italy is the most complex jurisdiction in Europe and comes in first place globally for ‘tax’ complexity, while Greece is most complex in the world for ‘compliance.’ Italy and Greece are among the five most complex jurisdictions in the world for Accounting and Tax compliance, according to TMF Group’s inaugural… – Continue reading
Greece Adopts EU Information Exchange Law
The Greek parliament has adopted a new law transposing an amendment to the European Union administrative cooperation directive to provide for the exchange of advanced tax rulings between member states. The new law, passed by parliament earlier this month, adopts EU Directive 2015/2376/EU of December 8, 2015, which amends Directive… – Continue reading
FinMin Tsakalotos Stresses Need to Combat Tax Evasion
Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Monday stressed the need to combat tax evasion in order to increase tax revenues and reduce tax rates. Tsakalotos was addressing a conference of the Independent Public Revenues Authority on the dispute resolution and the protection of tax payers. The Finance Minister explained that the… – Continue reading
Greece eyes preventing transactions cancellation by cash registers
Finance ministry officials are considering the mandatory installment of an application across the country that will prevent cash registers from cancelling transactions, a measure ostensibly aimed at reducing the still “Olympus-sized” mountain of tax evasion in Greece. According to reports, the relevant deputy finance minister was in the German federated… – Continue reading
OECD report: Greek tax burden on the rise
A report released Tuesday shows that Greece is among the countries of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with the highest tax wedge – the difference between before-tax and after-tax wages, including the tax paid by both the employee and the employer. In the OECD report “Taxing Wages 2017,”… – Continue reading
Greece Should Broaden Income Tax Base And Tackle Evasion: IMF
Greece needs to overhaul its tax system as part of the solution to the country’s economic woes, the International Monetary Fund said in its annual Article IV report for the country. In a report that echoed previous years’ recommendations, the Fund said that Greece must broaden its income tax base,… – Continue reading
Greece, US Sign FATCA Intergovernmental Agreement
On January 19, Greece and the United States signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to facilitate compliance with the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) by financial institutions (FIs) in Greece. FATCA is intended to ensure that the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) obtains information on financial accounts held at… – Continue reading
EU Countries Block Use of Rates as Tax Haven Criteria
A “number” of European Union countries are blocking a push to include zero corporate tax rates as criteria for the bloc’s tax haven blacklist, according to Slovakia, which holds the rotating EU presidency. EU members have been unable to reach an agreement on cracking down on offshore structures aimed at… – Continue reading
Greece to Seek Help from Bulgaria, Cyprus to Find Suspected Tax Evaders
Greece intends to sign agreements with Bulgaria and Cyprus which will allow Athens to look into suspected tax evasion by Greek-owned companies registered in the two countries, Greek newspaper Kathimerini has reported. The closer inspection of Greek-owned companies registered in Bulgaria and Cyprus will aim to find out whether they… – Continue reading
Authorities Urge Greeks to Aid In the Capture of Tax Evaders
Authorities in Greece have doubled their efforts to catch tax evaders over the last year. The Greek Finance Ministry’s General Secretariat for Public Revenue has issued an official statement asking citizens to help combat tax evasion by exercising their right not to pay for goods and services if they are… – Continue reading
Greek Tax Evasion Fines Approach EUR1bn
The total amount of fines handed out to Greek taxpayers with suspected undisclosed foreign assets has reached EUR810m (USD905m) as a result of recent investigations, the Government’s anti-corruption unit has announced. According to a July 29 government press release, Special Financial Prosecutor Panagiotis Athanasiou said that the Government is intensifying… – Continue reading
Greek State to Tax Voluntarily Disclosed Hidden Income Higher than 50%
The Greek economic team is close to a plan that would tax voluntarily disclosed hidden income more than 50%, without the accord of creditors so far. According to a Kathimerini newspaper report, in Thursday’s cabinet meeting on economic policy the framework of taxing those who choose to disclose money that… – Continue reading
Gov’t policies offer incentives for tax dodging
Tax dodgers in Greece enjoy multiple benefits: They pay less tax, they avoid social security contributions, they can protect their main residence from confiscation and have access to a number of social benefits, ranging from free nursery places for their children to various allowances. The temptation to declare an income… – Continue reading
Liberia: Africa’s unknown tax haven with much to lose
As world leaders consider what to do about the revelations emerging from the Panama Papers, Liberia’s government will be worrying about the fall-out that may cross the Atlantic Ocean from the affair. The European Union has announced it will be creating a new “tax haven blacklist”, to be released by… – Continue reading
Banks to help create a national register of offshore firm owners
Greek banks and the state are in the process of creating a national register for offshore company owners, in compliance with a European Union directive to that effect. The register will be created on the Teiresias databank, known from its list of insolvent borrowers. Access will be granted to the… – Continue reading
Greece Continues to Have a Serious Tax Evasion Problem
Greek government authorities assigned with the responsibility to combat black money have identified over 3,500 cases of tax evasion which amount to over 5 billion euros. The local tax authorities have been informed of these cases since 2014, but it appears that not much action has been taken, the result… – Continue reading
EU finance ministers wary of anti-tax avoidance proposal
EU finance ministers will attempt to reach agreement by March on a directive requiring EU-wide country-by-country reporting for large multinationals and by July on a directive requiring EU states to adopt six anti-tax avoidance measures for corporations, Jeroen Dijsselbloem Dutch finance minister and president of the Eurogroup announced at an… – Continue reading
31 nations sign agreement on exchange of country-by-country transfer pricing reports
In an effort to provide their tax administrations with more tools to combat corporate tax avoidance through transfer pricing, officials from 31 countries today signed an agreement setting out the parameters for automatic exchange of country-by-country reports on large multinational corporations. The agreement — the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on… – Continue reading
Three critical ways an offshore bank can protect you
Let’s take a moment to compare the world today to before the Global Financial Crisis struck roughly eight years ago. In this short period of time, US federal government debt has DOUBLED. The Federal Reserve now holds $2.4 trillion of that debt, up from $479 billion. Interest rates, which were… – Continue reading
Greece seeks German know-how to tackle tax evasion
ATHENS, Greece – Greece has turned to a German state government to seek help in combating tax evasion. Greek tax officials, initially numbering about 50, will be trained by the tax authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia, a state noted for its success in persuading German citizens to repatriate capital they had… – Continue reading
Nigeria: A Review of the Major Tax and Fiscal Policy Events in the Past Year
The year 2015 will be marked as the year of slow economic growth and haphazard fiscal and monetary policies due in part to the uncertainties brought about by the change in government. There were also leadership changes at the FIRS and a number of state tax authorities. This article outlines… – Continue reading
Hervé Falciani — The SwissLeaks Whistleblower
Most people with undisclosed Swiss bank accounts have, by definition, something to hide. Secrets, however, sometimes don’t remain secret, especially when they involve someone else’s money. While disclosing the names and financial details of Swiss bank account holders has recently come into vogue, a whistleblower may have just as murky… – Continue reading
Double taxation avoidance
India and Korea on December 9 agreed to suspend collection of taxes during the pendency of Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP). This MoU will relieve the burden of double taxation for the taxpayer in both the countries. Two days later, India and Japan signed a protocol for amending the existing convention,… – Continue reading
Business Brief – Double Tax Agreement – Residence – change of HMRC practice
Following an agreement between the UK and Jersey, HMRC has published an important change of interpretation on residence for treaty purposes. HMRC’s view now is that the better interpretation of residency article in the UK-Jersey Double Tax Agreement 1952 (“UK Jersey DTA”) is that it includes a tie breaker provision… – Continue reading
Corporate taxation proposals: Malta ‘breaks silence on reservations’
Finance Minister Edward Scicluna pushes for ‘flexibility’ during today’s meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels Malta has come out strongly against applying “rigid rules”, urging the European Commission to adopt a more flexible approach as it drafts legislation on taxation. Corporate tax was high on the agenda of EU… – Continue reading
HMRC changes view on the company residence tie-breakers in certain double tax agreements
HMRC has reached an agreement with Jersey concerning the interpretation of the company residence tie-breaker in the Jersey-UK 1952 double tax agreement. This change also affects the interpretation of 15 other double tax agreements (DTAs) which have identical or very similarly worded company residence tie-breakers. The issue concerns dual residents… – Continue reading
Corporate tax revenues falling- OECD
Corporate tax revenues have been falling across OECD countries since the global economic crisis, putting greater pressure on individual taxpayers to ensure that governments meet financing requirements, according to new data from the OECD’s annual Revenue Statistics publication. Average revenues from corporate incomes and gains fell from 3.6% to 2.8%… – Continue reading
Change in UK Treatment of Dual-Resident Companies May Affect U.S. Tax Planning
On November 30, 2015, the UK tax authorities at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reached an agreement with Jersey about the interpretation of the company residence tie-breaker provision of the Jersey-UK income tax treaty. After reviewing other income tax treaties that contain similar provisions, HMRC will now take the view… – Continue reading
UK government amends view on DTA residence articles
UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced a change of view on the interpretation of the company residence articles in 16 double taxation agreements (DTAs), reports Tax News. The change was prompted by an agreement with Jersey on the interpretation of the company residence tie-breaker article in… – Continue reading
