Tax authority taking closer look at online transactions

The Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE) will expand its partnership with digital services platforms after the encouraging results from its current collaborations.

A bill, now at its draft stage, will make such collaborations mandatory, with recalcitrant platforms fined up to €500,000 and suspended from trading in Greece.

AADE’s collaboration with Airbnb and other short-term rentals platforms helped it receive some €103 million extra in taxes, as owners who had rented their properties through these platforms had failed to report their activity to the tax authority.

Also, partnering with delivery platforms helped detect many restaurants and other catering businesses that did not issue receipts. Platforms will send at regular intervals their transaction data to the authorities, to be cross-checked with income statements and bank accounts.