2024-09-18 01:40:33
The vast majority of debts to EFKA are stagnant, with the consequence that exorbitant amounts of fines and surcharges are added every quarter, which, however, dramatically increase the total amount.
According to exclusive information of “N”, during the second quarter of this year the debt to Social Security, as accumulated in the Center for the Collection of Insurance Debts (KEAO), moved to the level of 48 billion euros. This is a new record, since a quarter earlier it was calculated at 47.88 billion euros, which means that in just three months it recorded an increase of more than 112 million euros.
All this despite the fact that the KEAO services manage to collect significant amounts of overdue debts every month. In the second quarter, 490 million euros were collected, which shows that the compulsory collection measures and the more targeted controls carried out by the competent services of the EFKA are paying off. The course is similar in the two months of July – August, since, despite the fact that this is the peak period of the summer holidays, it was possible to collect more than 345 million euros.
Overdue
In more detail, the data that “N” presents to you today show that the debt due to non-payment of insurance contributions, of natural and legal persons, which has turned into arrears and has been registered in the KEAO register, amounts to 48 billion euros. Compared to the 47.88 billion euros that were officially recorded in the first quarterly debt report by the Center for this year, there is an increase to the levels of 112 million euros. However, compared to the 46.54 billion euros that was the debt in the second quarter of 2023, there is an increase of 1.46 billion euros on an annual basis.
The specific upward trend is maintained mainly due to surcharges and fines, since the collections of the competent services of the KEAO are constantly improving. It is characteristic that from the internal analyzes that have been carried out, it appears that almost 1/3 of the debt that has been accumulated in the EFKA, that is about 16 billion euros, comes from fines.
This shows that the regulatory process is not performing as expected, resulting in debt being accumulated by debtors and growing disproportionately, as fines and surcharges follow. It is typical that according to the data of the first quarter of the current year, of the 26.09 billion euros that have been included in some of the old or current arrangements, 70.14% or 18.3 billion euros are now outside the process of paying monthly contributions. This means that for most regulated debt, the regulation has been lost and now debtors are faced with the activation of compulsory collection measures. It is recalled that at this stage the only setting that is active is the fixed 24 installments.
Also, the data of the oldness of the debts at a rate of more than 65% is maintained for another quarter. This means that out of the total of 48 billion euros, more than 31 billion euros (principal debt and additions) have arisen before 2009, i.e. before the start of the great financial crisis that has plagued the country for more than a decade. So, they are debts for which it must be clarified which can be repaid and which cannot, especially if they have been caused by businesses (legal entities).
The course of the revenue
With regard to the course of revenues, the data gathered by the KEAO and presented to you by “N” show that in the eight months of January – August, more than 1.28 billion euros have been collected. Thus, the goal of 1.65 billion euros in revenue that has been set for this year is considered perfectly achievable, as there are four more months left in which collections will continue. In fact, if this revenue trend continues, it is possible that there will be a new record of debt collections from the KEAO, which could even approach 2 billion euros.
In more detail, during the first quarter, 448 million euros were collected. In the second quarter the revenue trend improved even more after another 490 million euros were collected. Specifically, in April the collections reached the level of 178 million euros, in May they fell to 165 million euros and in June they were limited to 147 million euros. However, in July, the revenues of KEAO recovered significantly, reaching 180 million euros, while in August, the peak month of the summer holidays, it was possible to collect another 165 million euros, an element that gives optimism that the positive course of revenues will continue and the next quarter to the end of the current year, starting from September.