Tax authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on businesses in tourist areas, armed with sweeping new penalties that include multiyear closures for those who threaten or assault tax inspectors.
The Independent Authority for Public Revenue, known by its Greek acronym AADE, has dispatched inspectors to the Cyclades islands and the Peloponnese coastline as the summer season accelerates economic activity – and, authorities say, tax evasion. Checks are already underway in central Athens and along the capital’s coastal strip, with inspectors targeting cash registers and receipt issuance.
In the southern suburbs, inspectors have already identified violations at 27 food and beverage establishments – restaurants, cafes, bars and entertainment venues – imposing 48-hour closure orders on three of them.
A new directive from AADE chief Giorgos Pitsilis establishes a graduated penalty system covering non-issuance of receipts, tampered fiscal devices and interference with electronic invoicing systems.
Under the new rules, a business faces immediate 48-hour closure if inspectors find more than 10 receipts were not issued during a single audit, or if the undeclared value of goods or services exceeded €500. A second offense within the same or following tax year triggers a 96-hour shutdown. A third infraction within two tax years carries a 10-day closure.
