October brings a “haircut” of fines for those taxpayers who “confess” to tax evasion without disputing the debt arising after the tax audit carried out by the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE).
The new measure, which comes into force on October 1, provides that the reduction will range from 25% to 50%, but will only concern those who admit their debt and do not appeal to the administrative courts to cancel the tax audit and the tax imposed by the Tax Office.
The aim of the new regulation which will be activated next month is the immediate collection of the taxes and fines, but at the same time the decongestion of the courts from possible appeals against the State.
It is pointed out that the reduction of up to 50% of the fines, according to the new out-of-court settlement procedure, will be made under two conditions, namely if the debtor does not dispute the debt arising after the tax audit, and that the amount charged to them by the Tax Office will be made acceptable immediately.
In this context, the new “package” of fine reduction “offered” by the Tax Office provides for the following:
-the fine is reduced by up to 50% if the main tax debt is accepted and a relevant declaration is submitted up to 10 days after the auditors have sent the notification.
-the fine is cut by up to 40% if the main tax debt is accepted after the tax has been notified but before recourse to the Dispute Resolution Directorate (DDR).
-the fine is cut by up to 30% if the main tax debt is accepted before an appeal is submitted to a competent administrative court.
-the fine is reduced by up to 25% if the main tax debt is accepted before the hearing before a competent court.
In any case, after the cut of the fine, 25% of the total debt must be paid within three days of the acceptance of the relevant application that will be made electronically through an online platform, the activation of which is expected on October 1, 2024. The rest of the debt must be paid in up to 12 monthly installments, through the permanent arrangement of the Ministry of Finance.
