Filenews 11 August 2025 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
Despite the large decrease in outstanding taxes identified by the Audit Service in its report for the Tax Department, it also found that 139,078 personal taxes related to the tax years 2014-2017, for which the six-year deadline within which the Registrar may issue a tax or additional tax has already passed.
Correspondingly, out of the total outstanding taxes for companies last year, 6,070 taxes relate to the period 2014-2017, for which the six-year deadline provided for by the legislation for the imposition or addition of tax has also expired.
According to the Audit Service, many taxpayers, who may have taxable income and have not submitted income tax returns, are not included in the above pending taxes.
According to the report of the Audit Office, the Tax Department, as part of a campaign to clear the arrears of work and impose pending taxes, issued 789,519 taxes in 2024, compared to 943,413 taxes in 2023 and 905,967 in 2022.
However, the Office finds that for 12,254 taxes relating to the tax years 2014-2016, which were already issued in the year 2023, and 11,428 taxes issued in 2024 for the tax years 2014-2017, the majority of which concerned legal persons, the six-year period provided for by the legislation for the imposition of taxation on additional income had already expired; As a result, the state loses public revenues.
Based on the data of the Department, in the previous two years, the majority of all taxes were imposed without any substantial control and/or adjustment of taxable income.
The Audit Service acknowledges the effort made by the Tax Department to clear the backlog of work through the imposition of taxes, but indicates that companies that are considered high-risk, such as companies related to the construction industry, land development companies, development companies, companies with significant losses in their history for continuous years, They cannot remain unchecked for a number of years, since there is a risk of loss of state revenue.
In conclusion, it calls on the competent department to carry out the examination of income tax returns in a timely manner, taking into account the risk of taxpayers, and to impose taxes within a period of six years, in order to have the right to make amendments and additional taxes, following a relevant investigation, in order to safeguard public revenues.
