By February 29, the interconnection of the POS terminals with the cash registers should be completed based on the current deadline, repeated today, from Thessaloniki, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Haris Theocharis, when asked if there will be an extension to the schedule, he replied: “we do not have all the data to be able to discuss the possibility of an extension. Let’s all do the right thing and the State will be there to help (the debtors), as we always do.”

He added that in the last few days the number of cash registers connected has more than doubled compared to the previous period and “therefore we are on the right track”. “There will be completion of the process in the foreseeable future. On the other hand, the fines in the market (for non-compliance) are extended by the provision that we tabled in Parliament. They extend not only to the level of the debtors, the end users, i.e. those who own the shops and have the cash register, but also of the entire chain” he added.

Regarding the fourth round of funding for the supply of terminals, he said that it will open very soon, in the next few days, but those interested in taking advantage of it do not have to wait to place their order, as the program is being considered as a whole “and even if an invoice is from December or November 2023, installations that have already been done can be financed. So, someone can do the installation (of the terminal) now and get the coupon later, by applying.” As Mr. Theoharis said, the last corrections and extensions are currently being made regarding the fourth cycle, in order to ensure that some who were excluded from the previous ones, will also be able to benefit.

Regarding his recent statement that the fiscal data does not currently allow the scope for an extraordinary reinforcement of vulnerable groups at Easter, Mr. Theoharis pointed out: “Our job is not to be optimistic, but to speak concretely and what indeed we proclaim or say it is solid. There is no point in being pleasant for a day and in a week what I say is disproved. It is too early (to talk about Easter emergency aid), when we still only have one month of the budget and we don’t even have the final data, to be able to discuss whether the budget has scope for further support for the vulnerable. You know the government is close to the vulnerable. He proves it and pays a political price. There is also the criticism that we are handing out benefits, that maybe we shouldn’t be doing these kinds of moves and that in any case they are misguided. We don’t think so. We believe that the support we give is the right support. We will continue to give it, when there are margins, but these margins are specific and narrow, because we are in a year of fiscal adjustment. The 1.1 billion primary surplus achieved by the budget in 2023 we must make it 2.1 billion. This is a difficult job and a job that is done in an environment that is very dangerous” underlined Mr. Theoharis, citing indicatively – in terms of the difficulty and danger of the environment – that from the 1.5% growth that was initially expected, Germany – a very important market for Greek products and tourism – is now expecting 0.2%.

Mr. Theoharis, who made statements after a meeting at his premises Economic Chamber of Greece, in Thessaloniki, also made it clear that at the moment there is no plan to adjust objective values. “We have a series of actions related to the objectives and objections of the municipalities that sent us. Today, the project of digitizing the zones that are outside the rural zone was completed and an event was held in collaboration with the Commission. We advance the other processes, by extending the objective system to areas where there are settlements and we can have zone values. So, we have a series of initiatives, which must be completed, before we can talk about a new update of the objective values” he clarified.

Earlier he visited the new building of the Financial Crimes Prosecution Service at Laskaratou 11, which he said was “really very pleasant and very beautiful”, noting however that the work of the workers at SDOE is in the field “and I was promised by the auditors that they will be out every day, to bring results for the sake of the public interest”. Also, Mr. Theoharis visited the facilities of the DOU Kalamaria, in the National Resistance, which he characterized as a success story, pointing out that it was a difficult structure, which has evolved into perhaps one of the best tax offices in the region of Macedonia, in relation to the subject it deals with.

“What we saw during our visits is a very good picture in terms of service. The truth is that Thessaloniki has achieved many of its goals. I would say most of them” he noted, while adding that some issues of resources, personnel and means were brought to his attention from the side of the employees and trade unionists, which are known. “We hold consecutive meetings on market issues with the Chamber of Commerce and the representatives, but also on the specific issues of AADE, SDOE and the services of the Ministry of Finance. The situation is – I think – on a good path. We still have a lot to do, but also many problems or issues or issues that need to be solved. We get an honest and very clear picture from the market. The problems, as I said before, are real, but the solutions are here, and our unwavering will to continue on this path of dealing with tax evasion is definitely here,” he concluded.

Mr. Theocharis also visited the First Customs Office. He was received by the general secretary, Menelaos Papapostolou, at the general regional department of the Economic Chamber. During the meeting, the topics that concern tax professionals were discussed, mainly the POS and cash register interface, the “Mydata” platform and the blocking of VAT returns. At 16:30 he will meet the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, at the town hall.