Tax officials face jail for accepting even miniscule bribes
Tax inspectors who accept even 1 euro in bribes will be jailed according to a stricter code of conduct that has been drawn up by the Finance Ministry.
A set of proposals tabled in Parliament as part of the latest bill on tax reforms includes a tougher set of penalties for both ordinary citizens as well as civil servants.
Under the proposed legislation, it would a felony for an employee of the Finance Ministry, which includes tax officials, to accept a bribe, even if it is just 1 euro. The jail sentences for such offenses will be up to 10 years.
Black market traders also face jail terms of between five and 20 years, according to the draft law.
The bill also paves the way for the Finance Ministry to establish teams of inspectors within each ministry to ensure that all the departments are keeping to the targets set by Greece?s loan agreement with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
