He welcomes the fact that 1.1 million Greeks have already submitted their tax returns, Vice Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said.

“Entities, governmental and non-governmental, provide all necessary documentation for the declarations promptly… This is without a doubt a paradigm shift on the part of the Greek State,” Mr. Hatzidakis said, stressing that Greece is becoming Europe in the way it submits tax returns. “We have won a battle with the deep state, forcing the public sector to do the obvious,” he also notes in his Facebook post.

The post in detail

With the reform adopted last fall, when I was at the Ministry of Economy and Finance: Entities, governmental and non-governmental, provide all necessary supporting documents for the declarations promptly. Tax returns will be filed consistently and every year at the same time. And those who file their returns earlier will receive a higher tax deduction. Already in the first 23 days, 1.1 million tax returns have been filed. That’s a 150% increase over the same period in 2024! And almost 400% compared to 2023.

This is without a doubt a paradigm shift on the part of the Greek government. Not only because the process is running smoothly and quickly. But also because those who submit their returns faster will get a larger tax credit. And even more, because we have won a battle with the deep state, forcing the State to do the obvious! More specifically, heavy “bells” were provided for those of the institutions that were late in sending the necessary certificates for filing tax returns. Mind you, not at the level of agencies, but at the level of individuals. This played a key role in getting their work done on time.

I feel proud to have introduced this common-sense reform. Tax administration is constantly improving. It now stops just asking taxpayers, but is making sure that it itself is on top of its obligations and rewarding the punctual!