Greek market groups propose tax bonuses for compliant firms, investment and new jobs ahead of Thessaloniki fair

A committee representing Greece’s market groups is proposing a new “Consistent Taxpayer Regime” that would reward businesses for sustained compliance, investment and job creation.

The proposals, submitted to the Ministry of National Economy and Finance ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair, would use objective, transparent and verifiable criteria. Evaluation could take place on a rolling three-year basis, so the system would reward long-term consistency rather than a temporary improvement in tax behavior.

Possible criteria include filing returns on time, paying taxes promptly or honoring repayment arrangements, avoiding serious tax violations, complying with myDATA and other digital procedures, meeting social-security obligations and showing no signs of systematic noncompliance. Depending on the duration and degree of compliance, eligible businesses could receive faster tax refunds, priority for tax-clearance certificates, fewer preventive inspections and a lower advance-tax payment.

The package could also provide more favorable treatment in debt arrangements, allow penalty-free self-correction for minor formal violations and offer other administrative advantages. The committee says small and medium-sized businesses that comply with tax and social-security rules, invest, expand their workforce and reinvest profits could benefit most. Potential beneficiaries also include self-employed professionals with genuinely low activity, new and startup companies, labor-intensive businesses and firms making green or digital investments.

The committee gave the example of a food workshop with 40 employees. If it increased staff to 46, invested in new machinery, filed all returns on time and had no overdue debts or serious tax violations, it could qualify for a lower advance-tax payment, a reduced tax rate linked to employment growth and additional incentives to reinvest profits.

Other proposals include reviewing the luxury-living tax, changing presumptive rules for self-employed workers, reducing the corporate tax rate, gradually abolishing the business levy, and maintaining the suspension of VAT on new construction and the property capital-gains tax.