Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) is intensifying its tax compliance efforts, launching a wave of audits targeting financial transactions, online platforms, and suspected VAT fraud rings. Authorities have prioritized 900 cases of potential tax evasion as part of an extensive initiative to uncover hidden income and illicit financial flows.

The crackdown is structured around four key areas:

1. Bank Transactions and Suspicious Financial Activity – Auditors will scrutinize 485 cases where declared income does not align with banking records. Authorities will analyze deposit activity, cross-check financial data, and investigate the issuance of fraudulent invoices linked to unreported earnings.
2. New Intelligence and Whistleblower Reports – Tax officials will assess 105 cases flagged through local and international tax authorities, as well as anonymous reports, leveraging advanced data-matching tools to identify high-risk taxpayers.
3. E-Commerce and Online Transactions – Digital businesses, online marketplaces, and travel service intermediaries are under scrutiny in 155 cases, as tax authorities seek to identify undeclared revenue and VAT evasion schemes.
4. Cross-Border VAT Fraud – A further 155 cases involve schemes exploiting intra-EU trade rules to manipulate VAT obligations through fictitious transactions and shell companies.

Automated Risk Analysis and Targeted Investigations

The initiative, outlined by AADE chief Giorgos Pitsilis, will be executed through Greece’s tax enforcement divisions, including local tax offices, audit centers, and the High-Net-Worth Taxpayer Unit. Cases will be assessed via the agency’s Elenxis system, which ranks investigations based on risk scoring models.

Authorities will also focus on high-value property transfers, inheritance transactions, and undeclared asset movements, while aligning efforts with prosecutorial inquiries. In total, at least 72,400 audits are planned for 2024, utilizing AI-driven data analysis to pinpoint potential violations.

This escalation underscores Greece’s ongoing efforts to close tax loopholes, enhance compliance, and boost revenue collection through digital oversight and forensic financial investigations.