April 20, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Market Pass: beneficiaries and tax evaders

Yesterday, Wednesday, March 15, the statutory deadline for applications for Market Pass, the state’s “food card”, expired.

Today, in all likelihood, an extension of several days is expected, as the total number of applications is significantly less than originally calculated competent Ministry of Finance and Development.

A total of 2,350,000 applications have been filed until yesterday, according to Economic Post exclusives, while government financial staff predicted through official announcements that the real beneficiaries would reach and possibly exceed 3.2 million households, i.e. .approximately 8,500,000 households. This was the forecast of experts, considering the total number of citizens who, directly or indirectly, would ultimately benefit from this measure.

But what happened? After all, so far some 800,000 households seem to have chosen not to exercise their eligibility for public assistance (which they were entitled to). Maybe the calculations of the financial staff were incorrect, or as a result, there are really 2,350,000 real beneficiaries, and the rest, as they say, “beneficiaries only on paper, and not in deed”? That is, citizens didn’t bother to apply, either because they don’t need the money, or because they may have felt that the reason they are beneficiaries is due to the low income they declare due to tax evasion, which they have carried out in recent years, but in reality they didn’t even think to “tighten their belts”.

From the second week of last month, the online platform opened and started accepting applications for the Market Pass, hundreds of thousands of citizens rushed to register to receive between 22 and 100 euros per month or 132 to 600 euros per semester to cover the cost of products due to the growing inflation. The application process was simple and anyone with Taxisnet codes could log into the application and follow the steps given to complete the process.

Most of the applications of citizens applying for a Market Pass have been approved. But there are those who, if they had a conscience and a high sense of morality, would not even have to go through the application process. The reason is that they “disdain” to receive benefits (because they know that it is intended for really needy), which, despite the tax return, they do not consider themselves.

Even if citizens meet the income criteria, they are usually very well aware that the income they declare to the tax office has nothing to do with what they actually have. We are talking about a certain part of freelancers who do not issue receipts after they provide services and live in a big way. Nevertheless, they position themselves in the tax office as the poor, each time demanding benefits and receiving them (when they should usually not even be entitled to them).

And at the same time, there are day laborers, salaried employees and pensioners, as well as freelancers who cannot or do not want to hide even half a euro from the tax authorities. And as a result, since their income exceeds the established limit by only a few euros, they are deprived of much-needed public assistance.

For the tax office and the state, they are not considered poor, but privileged, while the rest, who can hide income by systematically engaging in regular tax evasion, are rewarded with all sorts of benefits (receiving not only Market Pass, but much more).

Let’s hope all those 800,000 people who didn’t apply figured out at the last minute that they shouldn’t be claiming the money because they’re not really entitled to it. On the other hand, if some people asked for help and eventually received benefits, being in reality “systemic tax evaders”, then at least think about the fact that they are robbing respectable citizens, profiting from them. Although, what kind of conscience can we talk about, what am I talking about now ?!



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