Tax payment via foreign cards
Greeks and foreigners will finally get the chance to pay their taxes, duties and levies in Greece using cards issued abroad.
The Independent Authority for Public Revenue has already began a public consultation process and the contractor to undertake the project will be decided within 15 days. Therefore, within the first quarter of the year, payment to the state through foreign credit and debit cards will become possible.
For example, Greeks living abroad who have to pay inheritance tax and do not have a Greek card will soon be able to pay their dues either via Taxisnet or by visiting a tax office in person and paying at a point of sale (POS) terminal. Also the owner or user of a yacht docking at a Greek port will be able to pay their mooring levy using their foreign cards; up to now the amount due took a long time to get paid to the state, but this will also be done through a PoS.
The objective of the project, as explained by the tax administration in the invitation for expressions of interest is the signing of a contract between the IAPR and a licensed payment service provider who will receive and process on behalf of the IAPR the transactions with cards from foreign credit institutions and payment service entities.
Nowadays IAPR in cooperation with Interbank Systems SA (DIAS) accepts transactions with cards issued in Greece, either with physical presence (Card Present) or without it (e-POS – Card not Present).
The IAPR has a network of 265 electronic funds transfer at points of sale (EFT/POS) at tax and customs offices around the country. That network is likely to to modified with the abolition or addition of new fixed terminals or mobile points.
Alternatively, in case the service supplier does not wish to expand transactions through the existing EFT/POS network of the IAPR and the e-POS transactions via the current procedure for domestic cards, it will have to install an equal number of EFT/POS terminals where the existing devices are located, while also offering taxpayers the chance to conduct transactions without the physical presence of the card (e-POS).
