Sweeping checks begin on 700,000 “closed” properties

Through electronic cross-checks between AADE and DEDDIE, the Ministry of Finance aspires to check about 700,000 properties that are declared as “closed”, i.e. not being used.

The reason that AADE wants to “catch” this side of tax evasion as well, as many properties that are declared as such or single-family houses are otherwise closed.

Thus, the Tax Administration will receive from DEDDIE the following information:

• Provision Number
• Subscriber’s VAT number (or ID number if no VAT number is available)
• Electricity consumption in kilowatt hours (KWh)
• Electricity cost (net bill value)
• Reference calendar year with the electricity meters of thousands of homes belonging to the category in question, in order to detect any cases of false declarations by owners.

How those who falsely declare their properties as “closed” evade taxes

The targets of the audits are those who have declared their properties as vacant in E9 while they are being used normally.

As a result of this practice:

• Vacant properties are exempt from the presumption of subsistence, which means that the owner, especially if he has a very low income, is charged less income tax.
• if the owner of the declared “closed” illegally rents it “black”, then he does not pay tax on the income.

Finally, if a property has been declared vacant, the owner is not obliged to pay municipal fees either.