According to “Ta Nea”, there are significant delays in VAT rebates towards businesses, despite the recent legislation “fast-tracking” the procedure. So far about 1 in 10 businesses have received their rebates.There are a total of 10,533 cases of tax rebates, of which only 1,562 have been paid out, 2,713 are being processed and 7,671 are unpaid. The General Secretary of Public Revenue announced that the outstanding rebates are worth 1.23 billion euros.
The delays experienced are reportedly greater than 120 days and illustrate how the new legislation has been ineffective. According to the legislation, the tax services are to automatically balance money owed to and from the State. A cheque is then issued in the name of the beneficiary, for sums up to 300,000 euros. For larger sums, the rebate can take up to three months.
