Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the headquarters of the Independent Authority of Public Revenues on Wednesday and was informed about the significantly improved rates of tax returns already submitted, as well as the positive impact of the discounts now offered for the early submission and payment of taxes.
"Those who submit their tax return by April 30 have a 4% discount. Many of our fellow citizens, over one million, have already responded. Therefore, we encourage even more to hurry and take advantage of this important incentive," Mitsotakis stressed.
"It is clear that order is finally being introduced to the process of submitting tax declarations, with incentives that are not negligible," he added.
According to the official presentation of the data, in the first 23 days, 1,155,685 tax declarations of natural persons were submitted, an increase of almost 150% compared to the corresponding period of 2024, when 462,565 declarations had been submitted, and of 388% relative to 2023, when only 236,853 had been submitted.
Payment of tax refunds approaching 94%
As noted during the meeting that followed, the new system improves services to citizens, contributes to the fight against tax evasion and gives the state much better visibility regarding its revenues and the execution of the annual budget.
At the same time, the state can better meet its obligations towards the citizens. So far, 93.9% of the tax refunds resulting from the submitted declarations of natural persons have been paid.
During the meeting, there was a review of AADE's upcoming initiatives for the digitalisation of transactions, providing a better service to taxpayers and conducting market inspections.

Pierrakakis: Record tax returns - When the state functions properly, citizens respond

Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis on Wednesday referred to the progress in this year's tax returns, which already exceed 1.1 million, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
As Pierrakakis noted, the record number of tax returns already submitted this year reflects both the responsibility of citizens and the reliability of the tax mechanism, as well as the state's digital infrastructure.
"When the state functions properly, citizens respond by being conscientious," he emphasised.

The measures that brought results
The minister referred extensively to the actions that contributed to the improvement of the process, such as:
* pre-filled declarations,
* increased incentives for the one-time payment of the tax,
* rapid tax refunds for those who paid excess tax,
* but also the new, fixed submission schedule.

Revenues are increasing despite tax cuts
He also placed particular emphasis on the fact that, despite a gradual reduction in tax rates, state revenues are recording a steady increase.
As he pointed out, this is due to:
* the growth of the Greek economy,
* the improvement of the economic climate,
* the fight against tax evasion,
* the effectiveness of the audit mechanisms of the Independent Authority for Public Revenues (AADE).

"Greater transparency, more possibilities"
"The state now operates with transparency in tax revenues and citizens reward it," said Pierrakakis, adding that this positive course creates the conditions for increases in salaries and pensions, but also for the strengthening of critical sectors, such as health, education and the investments that the country needs.