Greek Authorities Urge Tourists to Demand Receipts

Greece’s Secretary General of Public Revenue Giorgos Pitsilis is urging all tourists to demand receipts for products or services as the finance ministry is moving full-speed ahead with over 30,000 inspections by September 30 in efforts to tackle tax-evading tourist businesses.

In an interview to Swiss daily Le Temps, Mr Pitsilis said the finance ministry was carrying out extensive tax raids on tourism-related businesses including restaurants, hotels, car rental shops and stores, with plans to expand to other sectors in the coming fall where tax dodging is a “traditional problem”. 

Mr Pitsilis explained that the idea behind temporarily shutting down tax-evading businesses is aimed at putting a damper on serious violations. Law-breaking businesses will be marked with a front-door notice in Greek and English explaining the violation. The spot checks, announced in July, are carried out at random daily.