New arrears owed to the state in April 2024 increased by 2.6 billion euros, according to data released this week by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE or IAPR).
The number of debtors increased by 25% in the same month, rising to 4,645,591 individuals, up from 3,728,114 in March. In April specifically, the number of taxpayers with outstanding debts grew by 917,477, exceeding 4.6 million, although the figure includes taxpayers with even a few euros owed.
Data for the first four months of 2024 indicate that new arrears to the “taxman” amounted to 2.924 billion euros, while unpaid taxes amounted to 2.607 billion euros between January and April 2024.
Overdue debts to the state rose to a stratospheric 107.057 billion euros, of which 26.326 billion euros are considered uncollectible, resulting in a net debt of 80.731 billion euros, according to the independent tax bureau. Much of the aforementioned amount, deemed as much higher than the 26.3-billion-euro figure, in fact, is owed by companies no longer in business or taxpayers no longer economically active or even alive.
Of the 4,645,591 individual and business debtors, 2,112,703 are subject to asset and bank account seizures, while 1,520,015 individuals or legal entities may face compulsory collection measures.
Online Monitoring
At the same time, tax authorities are moving ahead with the launch of a new online system to monitor taxpayers with arrears, based on the amount owed and their stated income and asset status, through the activation of the online Eispraxis system.
Meanwhile, IAPR is preparing to take aim against major debtors by accelerating property auctions and making the names of delinquent debtors owing 150,000 euros each public.
After a brief hiatus due to the recent European Parliament elections, IAPR’s electronic auction system will be activated again on Wednesday, June 26, with a five-star hotel on the popular Dodecanese island of Rhodes going up on the auction block at a starting bid of 7.5 million euros.
