Filenews 7 October 2024
Until Friday 4/10/2024, the percentage of total "processing" of the income return of a person without accounts for the tax year 2023 was 63%, compared to last year's total submission of the Return for the tax year 2022, while the "final submission" of the return was 57% of last year's submission.
In statements to CNA, the Commissioner of Taxation Sotiris Markides said that the process of submitting the return, through the Taxisnet system, is in progress and that the deadline for submitting the return is October 31, 2024. Mr. Markides said that by Friday 4/10/2024, "approximately 187,300 taxpayers have processed their return", of which "approximately 168,000 taxpayers have definitively submitted their return and about 19,300 have processed their Return and have it provisionally received". He said that in order for the declaration to be considered submitted, a final submission should be made and called on the public "to make sure that they have definitively submitted their declaration, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, such as a charge of €100 and notice for failure to submit a declaration with similar consequences". He noted that employees, pensioners and self-employed persons whose gross total income for the tax year 2023 exceeds the amount of €19,500 are obliged to submit an Individual's Income Declaration for the tax year 2023.
Moreover, the Commissioner of Taxation told CNA that from the audit campaign carried out during the summer months in the context of investigating compliance with the application of the reduced VAT rate of 5% for the purchase/construction of a house, approximately 2,500 visits were made and about 170 non-eligible persons were identified, while a VAT amount of approximately €15 million was recovered. He added that the above results are in addition to approximately €40 million. VAT recovery carried out at the end of 2022 and part of 2023." About one in two owners was not identified, but the necessary procedures were put in place to collect the necessary information so that the beneficiary or non-beneficiary person could be handled accordingly," he added. He noted that due to the campaigns carried out in the last period "cases of voluntary attendance are occurring and cases of applications from non-eligible persons have decreased". At this point, Mr. Markides urged citizens, such as "in the event that either from the beginning or in the course of time he has changed the use of the residence and is not a beneficiary person, to come voluntarily and pay the resulting amount of VAT due, either in a lump sum or by settlement in monthly instalments".
Finally, Mr. Markides told CNA that the Tax Department monitors the media, social media and generally the information disseminated by online platforms, "it simply cannot make statements or comment publicly mainly due to the observance of official (tax) secrecy and the protection of personal data", as he said. "Provocative behaviours and display of wealth that is not consistent with the tax file of individuals (natural and legal) do not go unnoticed and are investigated," he underlined.
