Taxpayers appeal taxes and fines

In a toxic environment of overtaxation, increasing numbers of taxpayers and enterprises are disputing taxes and fines imposed on them by the authorities.

In several cases some tax officers are known to have stretched the legislation beyond its limits and imposed high fines, while for similar cases other tax officers have issued very small fines.

Now taxpayers are resorting to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue’s Dispute Resolution Department as they do not have the right to take such issues directly to the courts. In most cases the verdicts go against them, as almost 80 percent of cases are rejected by the arbitration department.

Notably, the department has recently made an effort to make recourse to it easier and speedier, through the submission of applications/complaints online through the Taxisnet platform.

Based on IAPR data, 9,455 cases were examined last year, of which 2,312 (22 percent) were wholly or partly sustained. The other 7,143 were rejected, with 2,380 of those taxpayers and corporation then taking the Greek state to court.