Focusing on payment plans
The new leadership of the Economy and Finance Ministry, as well as the tax administration, are particularly concerned about insufficient interest debtors show in rejoining the old arrangements of 72 and 120 installments for dues to the state.
Immediately after the expiry of the deadline, the authorities will look for the reasons why debtors are turning their back on the third chance given to them.
According to the data available, 27 days before the deadline for submitting the relevant applications, only 11% of potential debtors who can rejoin the 72-installment arrangement (for the pandemic’s debts) and the 120-tranche arrangement of 2019 have applied and already started paying.
Information indicates that after the deadline, the authorities will try to map out debtor categories to establish which debtors were left out of arrangements and why. According to financial staff sources, there should be a separation of the debtors: Those who failed to pay their taxes should be treated differently to those who evade tax and were caught in the net of the audit mechanism.
That means that debtors who have proven to be unable to pay their taxes should have a more favorable context in contrast to tax evaders and indeed to those who have been identified more than once to damage the Greek state. For them, the conditions may be extremely strict.
Deputy Minister Haris Theocharis told ANT1 TV that “at the end of July there will be an evaluation of the arrangements in order to see the problems that were created, where they were positive, which were more successful than others, so let’s stop having a constant conversation. We should have a payment plan system in place and not change it every time.”
The discussion will begin after the tax administration sends notices to debtors who can join the two “current” arrangements – i.e. those that were revived as well as the new scheme of 36/72 installments for the energy crisis debts.
In any case the tax administration will proceed to coercive measures in the permanent settlement of debts. This means that bank accounts in the hands of third parties will be seized.
