The "strategic" goal of Greece's independent public revenues authority (ADEE), itself a memorandum-mandated condition that was implemented in 2017, appears to be the collection of between 17 to 20 billion euros of arrears owed to the Greek state.
By G. Kouros
The "strategic" goal of Greece's independent public revenues authority (ADEE), itself a memorandum-mandated condition that was implemented in 2017, appears to be the collection of between 17 to 20 billion euros of arrears owed to the Greek state.
The monetary goal is judged as a realistic for collection, out of the nearly 100 billion euros in arrears still "on the books", although a large chunk of this figure extends back decades, often owed by taxpayers no longer alive or companies closed.
Clearance of a registry of arrears to the state - including to social security funds - is another memorandum obligation, given that Greece's institutional creditors have demanded a clearer picture of debts owed to the state, especially new ones and not arrears linked to defunct banks and industries that went bankrupt in the 1980s, for instance.
Arrears judged as "non-collectable" will not be written off, but will be transferred to another tax bureau registry, with the aim being to track down whatever assets of debtors. Conversely, the state's day-to-day tax collection mechanism will focus on arrears that are easier to collect.