Authorities uncover tax evasion scheme involving 287 Chinese-owned businesses
A tax evasion scheme involving an illegal software used by 287 Chinese-owned retail businesses has been uncovered by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), it was announced on Thursday.
According to AADE’s head, Giorgos Pitsilis, the software had been distributed to 287 Chinese retail businesses operating in Greece.
It allowed businesses to report only a tenth of the actual transaction value to the tax authorities. For example, it would report a transaction of 99 euros as 9.90 euros.
The scheme involved a software company with a Greek legal representative and two Chinese residents of Slovakia who provided technical support.
It was exposed after citizens reported that the QR codes on receipts issued by these businesses could not be scanned.
The actual extent of this tax evasion scheme remains unknown, but it appears to have started in 2021.
During a check conducted over 27 days in February of 2023, 227 Chinese-owned retail businesses issued 220,000 receipts and reported 3 million euros in revenue to the AADE.
