ECONOMY

Increasing number of citizens report tax evaders

More and more Greeks are eager to be involved in combating tax evasion and financial crimes, as the number of complaints to the authorities more than quadrupled last year from the year before.

Complaints at the telephone number 1517 of the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit (SDOE) last year reached 19,000, as the fiscal problems of the country became more pressing and Athens resorted to a bailout package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

In the year before the number of complaints had barely reached 4,500, while in 2008, the first year the squad?s phone number started operating, that had come to 4,000.

Complaints continue this year, numbering 7,500 in year to July, with the majority of them concerning the non-issue of receipts by various stores.

However, the financial crimes squad confirms that such complaints are not the only ones, as there also are some other, more important cases, which came to light this way and a number of them found their way to the court fetching significant revenues to the state coffers.

Besides the 1517 phone number, complaints can also be submitted in person at the squad?s headquarters or via email at [email protected].

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.