12.2.13
The Ministry of Finances is to take measures against 2.5 million debtors who owe some 56.4 billion euros. The General Secretary of Tax Revenue H. Theoharis told commissioners that he has ordered the foreclosure of wages, pensions, bank accounts, rents and other source of income of the debtors.
The Ministry’s three-stage plan involves contacting debtors to inform them of their debts, followed by a letter threatening foreclosure, with the final stage being the foreclosure of wages, bank accounts etc. Tax services can only foreclose mobile property (deposits, vehicles, etc…), 20% of daily wages or 25% of monthly wage or pension over 1,000 euros (provided the pension or wages do not drop bellow 1,000 euros), 50% of pension down payment etc. Rumors suggest that the Ministry of Finances is considering that the limit drop to 600 euros, however it quickly denied any such thought.
About 2.5 million bills are to be sent to debtors; 2.3 million for debts up to 3,000 euros, 100,000 with debts up to 300,000 euros , 5,770 with debts up to 1,000,000 and 1,500 with debts over 1 million euros. About 550,000 land owners were unable to pay the special land tax collected by DEI.
Those facing the greatest danger of a foreclosure are those who have not paid their income tax, VAT, the special land tax, parking tickets, even fines for not having a ticket on a bus. It should be noted that the tax services can send foreclosure letters to employers, insurance funds, tenants and banks without informing the debtor.
