The characteristics of a person with the highest probability of being a prospective tax evader in Greece, according to a recent EY study, are: a self-employed physician who is a resident of southern Greece in a rural area, married, with a large family and a very high income.
The study includes a breakdown of the tax evasion phenomenon in Greece by using criteria such as vocation, place of residence and civil status.
Results were presented at an event last week hosted by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), Greece's largest employers' group, and the new DiaNEOsis survey group.
Another important finding is that income not declared by self-employed professionals in Greece are estimated at between 57 and 58.6 percent, whereas the corresponding figure for wage-earners is an infinitesimal 0.5 to 1 percent.
Nevertheless, the very low percentage of tax evasion by wage-earners is explained, according to some analysts, by the prospect of a "gentlemen's agreement" between employer and wage-earner not to report remuneration such as bonuses, overtime etc. In such a case, employers avoid extra social security contributions tacked on to the extra cash, whereas wage-earners are not taxed on the additional income.
