Filenews 20 May 2025 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
The discussion of the tax debts of football clubs to the state, as well as the involvement that exists at the Government level, will be transferred to the Parliamentary Committee on Finance in the coming days, either for the reintegration of the compliant clubs into the debt repayment plan, or for the activation of the indictments against them by the Tax Department.
The issue was registered yesterday in the competent parliamentary committee for discussion by DISY MPs Harris Georgiadis, Onoufrios Koullas and Savia Orfanidou.
In fact, the MPs of the Alarm seem to be urgent, as they have asked for the issue to be discussed for weeks. According to the rapporteurs, the Parliament should be informed about the course of repayment of the debts of sports clubs, but also about the possibility of their reintegration into the plan for the repayment of tax debts of football clubs.
As noted by the DISY MPs in the letter they forwarded to the Chairman of the Finance Committee and Deputy Chairman of DIKO, Christiana Erotokritou, "due to the developments and the urgent nature of the issue, it is necessary for the Finance Committee to immediately examine what has been paid by the unions, their commitments for continuity and the possibility of their reintegration into the tax debt repayment plan based on the decision of the Council of Ministers and during the recent consultation with the Commissioner of Taxation".
Until yesterday afternoon it was not clear when the issue would be put under the microscope of the members of the committee, however, the rapporteurs are exerting pressure to discuss it as soon as possible, as within the month the clubs will have to secure the relevant certificate from the Minister of Finance that they meet the UEFA criteria, i.e. that they have complied with their debts to the state. DISY wishes to be discussed next Monday in the presence of the Ministry of Finance, the Department of Taxation and the CFA, since, as we have been told, it must clarify the landscape.
The Compliance Path
It is recalled that the new debts created by the football clubs after May 2023, when the new plan was implemented, were €5.3 million, while their previous debts to the Tax Department were €25.6 million.
Paphos, Aris and AEL have committed to repay all their tax debts (new and old) pending the decision of the Council of Ministers to grant relevant tax deductions. It is worth noting that for overdue debts until 2015, if they are paid in a lump sum, 95% of the interest and charges will be written off.
On the other hand, according to data, Apollon and Anorthosis have paid 50% of the debts to the Tax, i.e. around €1 million, which they created after the new plan. Apollon's new debts were €1.3 million and Anorthosis €650,000. The rest has been pledged to be paid at a later time.
APOEL, on the other hand, out of the total of €1.8 million of new debts, has sent a cheque to the Tax Department for €700,000 and was soon committed to pay another €200,000. The cadres of these groups are sitting on burning coals, as the executive power has not made its decision on what is to come.
Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, in public statements, argues that the final decision should be taken by the Tax Commissioner, pointing out that the teams have not paid large amounts of debts. The Commissioner of Taxation has forwarded a note to the Minister of Finance, proposing that the teams be reinstated in the plan and that the older debts be repaid in 130 instalments (the last plan provided for 168 instalments).
On hold
The president of APOEL, Prodromos Petridis, said on Sunday that they have paid a significant amount and it remains for the Minister of Finance to decide on the reintegration into the plan. "This will be done within the week. The committee of the CFA and UEFA meet and should have the licensing paper. I have information that other teams have pending issues," he concluded.
Bet Tax
However, many questions arise in relation to the betting tax increase approved last December. The betting tax paid by emergency (agencies) and online betting providers has been increased to 5%, paid by the CMO to the CFA, which organizes the annual football championship and is allocated for the purpose of strengthening football teams and their academies. Also, part of the tax is paid to other federations.
It is still unclear whether the football clubs have benefited from the increase in debts. In this case, there would have to be a set-off of revenues and debts by the state.
