The Independent Authority of Public Revenue (AADE), the country’s tax bureau, has announced another crackdown on uninsured vehicles in Greece, announcing a new digital platform that allows for prompt and hassle-free vehicle registration.
The tax authority is set to activate the automatic data cross-referencing for vehicles. The tool that AADE will use to check uninsured vehicles will be a new database, which draws information from other state entities and tollway concessionaires.
AADE plans to set up checkpoints across the country at toll booths, national highways and ports, where inspectors will use a mobile app to scan license plates. This technology will allow them to identify vehicles that have been declared as immobilized but are still circulating on the roads.
Owners of vehicles declared as immobilized but found on the road will face stricter penalties and fines.
If a vehicle, which has been declared immobilized, is detected either in transit or parked in a location different from the one stated on an online declaration, the immobilization will be automatically revoked.
In such cases, apart from road tax and fines for non-payment, an administrative penalty of 10,000 euros will be imposed by AADE.
Offenders will face fines starting from 250 euros, which can escalate up to 30,000 euros in cases of repeat offenses, depending on the type of violation.
Additional administrative penalties, such as the removal of license plates and driver’s licenses, are also foreseen.
According to a previous study, it is estimated that 1 in 7 vehicles is uninsured. That means, that out of a total of 6,700,000 vehicles currently on the roads, there are approximately 500,000 uninsured vehicles in Greece.
