February 9, 2026

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Overdue debts: confiscation of property is coming – special attention to large debtors


IN Greece a large-scale recovery operation begins tax debts. АΑΔΕ prepares confiscation of accounts, real estate and rental payments.

АΑΔΕ launches large-scale debt collection operation

Greek Tax Service ΑΑΔΕ activates largest collection campaign in years overdue debts. Under threat – freezing accounts, seizures of income, confiscation of property And real estate auctions. The goal is to stop the growth of debt, which is already threatening government revenues.

According to ΑΑΔΕat the end of July 2025, the total debt of citizens and enterprises to the tax system amounted to 111.8 billion euros. Of these 85.5 billion subject to recovery, and 26.3 billion recognized hopeless. By the end of the year, the service intends to clear the register for another 10 billion euros, focusing on active defaulters.

The main target is large debtors

The spotlight is on everything 0.25% taxpayers who account for 76% all debts. At the same time, an automated system for collecting small amounts is being launched: it combines bank data, tax returns and e-books into a single platform.

According to the Ministry of Finance, in the first six months of 2025, new debts amounted to 3.9 billion euros – 12% more than a year earlier. This confirms the growing tax fatigue middle class.

Four directions of digital control

  1. Integration with banks. The new software, launched in September, automatically matches debts with bank balances. 30 days after the payment deadline, the system sends a notification to the bank about the possibility account blocking – without the participation of officials.
  2. Social filter. For debts below 500 euros, penalties are not applied unless there are repeated violations. But if the debt is above 5,000 euros, the measures are activated automatically.
  3. Public list of large defaulters. At the end of November ΑΑΔΕ will publish an updated register of debtors with debts over 150,000 euros – for the first time since 2022.
  4. Preventive identification of risks. Platform based myDATA The tax office evaluates companies by “risk level” and sends warnings before the delay occurs.

Results and social risks

According to the Ministry of Finance, the time between the accrual and collection of debt has decreased from nine to three months, and the collection of old debts increased by 7% in the third quarter of 2025. However, experts warn that excessive stringency of measures could aggravate social tensions.

Greece remains a country with highest share of citizen debtors V EU. For many families, debt is not a consequence of evasion, but the result of falling incomes and a high tax burden. “The fight against debt is not an accounting issue, but social dilemma“, notes a source in the Ministry of Finance. “The goal is to restore trust, not fear,” he said.

If the plan is fully implemented, it can bring the budget up to 1 billion euros additional revenues already in 2026, maintaining a primary surplus above 2% of GDP.



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