2024-07-09 13:02:45
The time is now counting down for the reduction of up to 30%, from 2025, of the subsistence allowances that burden approximately 2 million taxpayers every year.
The “file” of the presumptions will be opened practically immediately after the completion of the liquidation from the end of the current month, with the main objective, in addition to reducing them, correcting all the distortions but also tightening them for the offenders, who damage the Public.
The special working group, which has been set up in the Ministry of National Economy and Finance to “run” the new interventions, has already been instructed to increase “rates” after the completion of this year’s clearing of declarations, from which a clear picture of the how many and who are caught in the traditional presumptions and what deviations their actual incomes show from the presumptions.
After all, the “extraction” of the presumptions cannot begin before the results of the measure imposing a minimum income on approximately 700,000 freelancers and small and medium-sized enterprises are first “measured”. The reason is that, if the minimum income measure is shown to exceed the self-employed’s presumptive incomes arising from their marital status and the assets that determine these presumptions, such as cars, real estate, etc., then it is very likely that for employees and pensioners, who in any case cannot hide the incomes they receive, as they appear pre-filled in the tax returns, there will be a bigger reduction by 2027 than the one announced by the government, amounting to an average of 30%
At the same time, the digitization of all transactions in the market, with the adoption of POS in all professional sectors, their connection with cash registers, electronic pre-filled declarations, “electronic contracts” in the purchase and sale of real estate, etc., which they provide the possibility of immediate information and at the same time of direct cross-checks in the control mechanism, the “green light” is given for the reformation of the existing system of subsistence allowances. In any case, the main aim is that the new interventions correct the injustices that have been found and recorded during the multi-year implementation of the regulations for the objective costs of living.
It is pointed out that the category of presumptives includes cars, real estate, yachts, swimming pools and even the fees paid by parents to send their children to private schools. Moreover, according to the same data from AADE, the “champions” of the presumptions are the income earners, as they paid the largest amounts of taxes, while the salaried and pensioners “count” the most numerical “victims” of the measure.
Changes
Regarding the new “regime” of proof of living, the interventions considered in the system are the following:
Changes in the way of calculating the subsistence allowances for residences, I.X. cars and pleasure boats. Essentially, the system for determining the amounts of subsistence allowances is expected to be modified, so that they more closely approximate the actual annual maintenance and use costs of the specific assets. The direction that has been given is that the new amounts, which arise, are reduced on average by 30% compared to the current ones. However, the scales as well as the criteria for determining the amounts of the presumptions will change, in order to make them fairer and more efficient.
Amendments to the minimum subsistence allowance amounts of 3,000 euros for singles and 5,000 euros for married or cohabiting couples. These amounts may be reduced or may remain in force only for those taxpayers who are not burdened by other presumptions of living. Essentially, the minimum subsistence amounts, whether reduced or not, are only being considered to apply to those who are “housed” in the homes of their parents or relatives and at the same time do not have other assets in their name that are considered subsistence, such as cars, boats and swimming pools. If they have such assets, the subsistence allowances corresponding to them are considered not to be added to the minimum allowance amounts.
Elimination of distortions and injustices caused by the determination of taxable income based on the presumption of subsistence. Extreme cases of overtaxation of households with very low incomes, due to the application of subsistence presumptions and the characterization of income determined on the basis of the presumptions as income from business activity, will be sought to be eliminated. The aim is to stop the phenomenon of families with meager real annual incomes being asked to pay income taxes disproportionately high to their real incomes, even higher than their incomes.
How many were caught by the “tweezers” in 2022
Based on the latest data from AADE, regarding the 2022 declarations, approximately 2,000,000 taxpayers were caught in the trap of presumptions, who, based on the income they declared to the tax office, could not justify the assets they owned and maintained, with the result that the tax authority increased their incomes by approximately 5.6 billion euros and for which, of course, the debtors were asked to pay additional taxes.
Source naftemporiki.gr