By Vangelis Dourakis

Although the sweeping changes in taxation, which the prime minister has announced, touch most citizens regardless of their earnings, there is also a decision that – hereinafter – seems to be about the … elite: the “haircut” of tax on the rental income favors those who either lease expensive real estate or rent more than one. It is certain that smallholders will not see a tax reduction.

This is because the new intermediate scale with the “clipped” rate is adopted for rents exceeding 12,000 euros a year, in other words it is in income exceeding 1,000 euros a month. Such rents as they are easily understood have to do with landlords who either rent more than two rents or lease real estate.

Nearly 9 out of 10 property owners stay out of reservations

The rationale, of course, which led to the decision to adopt tax cuts only for “big -time” has to do with “stable” for years declared rented income – despite the galloping of relevant values ​​- but also the finding that the average rent in Greece – as it is not in Greece.

Thus, it was decided to adopt reliefs for those who reasonably declare the amounts of the rents they receive, although the “window” for new reductions remained open in the case that there is compliance and the appearance of real rents in the tax office.

Today, however, as evidenced by tax returns, from the 1.8 million owners who have income from the exploitation of their real estate, 9 out of 10 say they collect below 1,000 euros a month and therefore remain out of the government’s “haircut” tax decisions.

Only 8 out of 100 declare rents from rents of more than EUR 1,000 and up to EUR 3,000 and one in 100 (about 18,000-19,000 taxpayers) collects more than 3,000 euros a month.

The fragmentation of real estate, however, is an element that contributes to the low -income declaration, as the income that an apartment pays can appear in more than one VAT.

‘Legal tax evasion’ in rents

Still there is the window of legitimate tax evasion. Are the amounts that a owner has to declare either from short -term or long -term leases? Establishes a company and declares the amounts there.

It is automatically exempt from the income tax scale of rents that provide for rates of even 45% but also (almost) zero capacity to exploit professional spending and is taxed for its income at a rate of 22%, exactly half.

From the tax year 2026, a 25% intermediate rate has been established for rents from 12,000 to 24,000 euros.

Today, up to 12,000 is applied 15%, while for the part of the income exceeding 12,000 euros and reaches 35,000, a rate of 35%is imposed.

For amounts over 35,000 the rate rises to 45%.

The profit from the adoption of the new intermediary is up to 1,200 euros, for renums of € 1,000 per month.