PM Mitsotakis: Government fighting a 'constant war against tax evasion'

"Our main goal is a sustainable reduction of taxes," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday during an event inaugurating the new building that will house the Independent Authority for Public Revenues (AADE). He stressed that the government was engaged in a "constant war against tax evasion" and intended to further reduce taxes before the end of its term in 2027.

Among others, Mitsotakis noted that, without the great progress made in the way AADE operated, "we could not have faithfully served our central [policy] choice of proceeding with gradual and sustainable tax reductions."

He pointed out that higher tax revenues came from growth but also from fighting tax evasion, and as tax evasion continued to decline and AADE continued to uncover cases of tax and customs fraud, it would generate additional revenues in order to continue the policy of tax reductions "which we intend to do until the end of our term in government."

The decision to move AADE to the new and ultra-modern building it will now occupy would not only save several million euros, Mitsotakis added, but also had to do with working conditions. He noted that productive employees intersect with important innovations that AADE has implemented, citing its digital transformation and the way the public now experience their contact with the tax authorities.

He referred to the high percentages of digital communication and the complementary use of AI, commenting that AADE was in no way deficient to equivalent services abroad.

Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, on his part, said that AADE is creating a new model based on central structures, with greater speed, better service and transparency for tax-payers, while at the same time developing its digital modernisation through the use of AI.

"The model of tax offices, as we knew it, is finished," the minister added, noting the operation of centres for certification, collection, service and property taxation.

AADE director Giorgos Pitsilis said that the new building will house more than 1,100 employees. "A lot needs to be done, such as the adoption of new digital tools for tax and customs inspections and the use of AI. The AADE of the new age is here," he said.