With technical problems handling tax returns which now must be submitted online, Greek tax authorities said they’ve received only 30 percent of those that are due as the government will likely be forced to extend the deadline as it has done previously.
The forms go through the Internet on Taxisnet but the system has been plagued with problems since opening on May 24 and it can’t handle even a reduced volume of submissions so far. The deadline for returns is ostensibly July 22 but officials said that will probably be extended until Sept. 30 because of the chaos that is typical of Greek public offices.
Where you file also makes a difference on getting refunds, especially the Value Added Tax for businesses. Those in the western Athens office of Egalo can expect a return in 80 days while those in Thessaloniki have to wait 848 days, close to three years from now. The average wait is 337 days nearly a year because of the notoriously inefficient civil sector that the government is going to reduce with firings.
The Greek government, which is demanding taxpayers pay on time or through installments, owes them 1.1 billion euros, $1.4 billion, in VAT returns that could take years to pay, a problem that may continue every year.
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