Tax administration makes plans for the neighborhood taxman
The tax administration is turning some of its attention to serving its customers – taxpayers – through local meetings at their convenience.
As of January 2019 it will be attempting to radically change the taxman’s somewhat unfriendly image by taking a more personal approach to providing information to citizens, accountants and enterprises.
The Independent Authority for Public Revenue is preparing a set of measures that will lead to taxpayers getting the optimal service possible, with tax officers making visits to remote areas as well as the creation of online guides with Q&As on the main issues concerning citizens and enterprises today.
Tax officers will travel around the country and, in cooperation with local authorities, inform taxpayers and respond to their questions. For instance, the head of the Rhodes tax office will inform all local authorities in the Dodecanese that the tax officers are arriving so that they can arrange for meetings at a municipal building.
At a later stage IAPR is considering the creation of cubicles with computers, possibly at municipal facilities, where taxpayers will be able to use applications such as Skype to speak directly to tax officers.
There will also be four online guides for taxpayers, titled: “Sale and purchase of properties,” “Salary-worker matters,” “Taxpayer for the first time” and “How can I pay my taxes.”
Another major issue IAPR intends to resolve concerns the direct linkup of tax authorities with the Registry Office. This way all marriages, deaths, identity card losses etc will be automatically declared without taxpayers having to go to a tax office, as is the case today. This will also speed up the termination of a deceased taxpayer’s tax account.
While still quite a remote scenario for the time being, the tax administration is considering offering services to mobility impaired citizens (including the elderly) who can currently only submit their own taxes at home if they know how to do so online. IAPR is therefore examining the possibility of tax officers visiting some taxpayers at home in order to help them fill in and upload their income tax statements.
