Fine waived for many late tax declarations
The government has decided to abolish the fine for the late submission of a tax return as long as the tax due does not exceed 100 euros, Kathimerini understands.
Therefore, for zero, credit or even for declarations resulting in a tax of up to €100, the fine of €100 will not be imposed.
This legislative change is expected to be included in a draft law that will be submitted to Parliament next week.
In fact, for those taxpayers with pending litigation, whether they have appealed to the Dispute Resolution Directorate or the administrative courts, the abolition of the fine will have a retroactive effect.
The current legislative framework provides for fines from €100 to €500 and late payment interest for taxpayers who submit their income tax statements late, after June 30 (though the deadline is usually extended), if the settlement of those returns results in an obligation to pay additional tax and if at the time of late submission the tax payment deadline has also expired.
In cases where late declarations resulted in zero or credit statements, taxpayers only paid a €100 fine, which in the case of a credit statement was offset against the tax refund.
If the late taxpayer is an entrepreneur or a self-employed person and the declaration submitted late results in a tax to be paid, then the fine reaches €250-€500. These fines will be maintained.
Separately, changes and cancellations of fines are foreseen for short-term property leases. In particular, in case of a late declaration of a short-term rental residence, an independent administrative fine of €100 is imposed.
The penalty, however, is not imposed if the income resulting from the late short-term rental declaration has been included in the income tax return of the relevant tax year.
According to the provision, if the income resulting from the late declaration of the short-term residence has been included in the income tax return of the relevant tax year, any fines issued from January 1, 2018 onward for the late submission of a short-term rental declaration are canceled, or, if they have been collected, may be set off or refunded.
