The Ministry of Finance has finalized an ambitious plan to tackle tax evasion which will use data supplied by banks and tax offices in conjunction with information drawn from social media accounts.
About 1.8 million tax payers and businesses in Greece are suspected of tax evasion, based on information drawn from a variety of lists (such as the infamous Lagarde list), the recent Panama Papers leaks and formal complaints.
In an effort to address the major tax evasion problem and increase public revenue, the Ministry will launch a risk analysis for each of these suspected tax payers, in order to determine whether to further investigations and carry out an audit. The whole process will take place within 24 hours.
Aside from tax and bank data the Ministry will also be examining any profiles on social networks (such as Facebook and Instagram) to determine whether the tax payers under investigation are flaunting any undeclared assets or sources of wealth.
