Tax inspectors shut shops in tourist areas

Tax authorities are cracking down on evasion by retailers in the country’s main tourist destinations, temporarily shutting down dozens of businesses daily.

Tax officials are checking all card payments made in June to find whether businesses failed to disclose sales in their quarterly VAT statements that were submitted at the end of July.

The first 48-hour business shutdowns have been imposed in the northern Halkidiki peninsula and the islands of Paros and Kythera, with more locations to follow.

Also, a team of tax inspectors who visited the town of Andros, capital of the island of the same name, imposed a shutdown on the majority of businesses.

Many of the cases were brought to the attention of authorities by citizens reporting on retailers’ evasive practices.

Inspections will continue until the end of September and may be extended into October.

Among the cases reported by authorities was a cafe/bar in Halkidiki that failed to report 10,690 receipts valued at €146,067. Many others failed to report hundreds of receipts each.