The Greek Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is expanding its network of digital audits to cover wedding and baptism receptions, parking facilities and auto repair shops, as part of a broader effort to uncover additional tax revenue. The government’s economic team believes that extending the digital customer registry to sectors with high levels of tax evasion could generate significant income, helping finance a package of tax cuts and social support measures planned for 2027. According to officials, the fiscal reserve for these measures has already reached €1 billion.

A central element of the plan is the expansion of the digital customer registry to venues that host social events, including wedding estates, reception halls and hotels. Businesses will be required to register events before they take place, providing information such as the type of event and the number of expected guests.

The tax authority’s focus extends beyond venue operators. The entire chain of professionals involved in an event will come under scrutiny, including catering companies, florists, photographers, musicians, DJs, decorators, hairdressers, makeup artists, pastry shops and equipment rental businesses. Through extensive electronic cross-checking, AADE aims to identify discrepancies between actual business activity and reported revenue.

The objective is to prevent a recurrence of previous years, when entire seasons of social events often passed with limited oversight and widespread undeclared transactions. Under the new system, event data will be transmitted automatically to AADE, allowing authorities to compare guest numbers with the invoices and receipts issued for each occasion. This will create a comprehensive digital record of all transactions linked to an event. If, for example, a reception with hundreds of guests is declared but the corresponding receipts fail to reflect its true scale, the system will immediately flag the discrepancy and trigger further inspections.

At the same time, tax authorities are increasingly making use of artificial intelligence and data gathered from social media platforms. Photos and videos posted online by guests may be used to supplement audits, helping inspectors assess the actual size of an event and the economic activity generated by the businesses involved.

Inspections are expected to be particularly strict. If auditors discover that an event or customer has not been registered in the digital customer registry, the violation could trigger not only fines but also a full tax audit of the business.

The government believes social events remain one of the sectors where tax evasion through undeclared transactions and failure to issue receipts is still widespread. For that reason, the expansion of the digital customer registry is viewed as a key tool for broadening the tax base without introducing new taxes.

Initial results from the system’s application in other sectors have strengthened confidence in the approach. According to information from the authorities, 949 inspections were carried out during 2025 at parking facilities, auto repair shops and car washes. Inspectors recorded 5,882 violations across 505 businesses, meaning that irregularities were found in more than half of the companies audited, representing a violation rate of 53.2%.

These figures are already being used by Greece in discussions with European institutions as evidence that digital monitoring tools can permanently increase tax revenues. Officials argue that the more successful anti-tax-evasion measures become, the greater the fiscal room available for future tax reductions and income-support measures.

The same reform package also includes the expansion of the Digital Work Card system to additional sectors of the economy and the gradual introduction of digital delivery notes. According to the economic team, both measures will help combat undeclared work, smuggling and the shadow economy, while strengthening public revenues in the years ahead.