14/11/23

GREECE: Cash incentive spurs tax-evasion whistleblowing

As published on: ekathimerini.com, Tuesday 14 November, 2023.

The promise of a bonus ranging from 100 to 3,000 euros for taxpayers who report evaders appears to have spurred activity on the “appodixi” application launched by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) for tracking down bogus receipts.

According to a report by AADE on Tuesday, the app has been downloaded by 22,896 users since it was launched in late May, of which 5,000 downloads were carried out in the past 10 days, since the bonus scheme was announced. These users have filed 136,287 complaints, with 75,519 being anonymous.

What the scheme entails is downloading the app on a smartphone and scanning the QR code of a receipt for products bought or services rendered. If the receipt is not genuine, meaning that it has been issued by a till or tax number that has not been registered with AADE, this is conveyed to the app user by a message so they can submit it formally and claim their bonus, which depends on the scope of the tax evasion uncovered.

The bonus scheme will not be ratified until December, but AADE has said that taxpayers reporting dodgers before that will still be eligible for the bonus.

In the meantime, AADE has launched another service on the myaade.gov.gr portal where citizens can report financial crimes like tax evasion, customs violations and corruption/bribery.

Launched at the end of October, this service has already received 1,387 complaints, which are in the process of being investigated.

Tags

Greece Tax evasion Whistleblowing Tax avoidance