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Inspectors were waiting for sightseeing boats and catamarans at the port of Vlichada and at other locations on the island as they returned from their daytime and evening cruises.
Of the 26 vessels inspected, violations were found on 12. The total value of the related operations amounted to 92,000 euros, and the total fines imposed reached 43,000 euros, according to Euronews.
What the Inspectors Checked
The Tax Authority (AADE) examined whether companies were properly issuing tax documents and applying the VAT rate, whether they were complying with payment regulations, and whether they could produce the necessary documentation.
Among the violations identified were: failure to issue or incorrect issuance of receipts, missing documents, acceptance of cash payments exceeding 500 euros, and application of a VAT rate lower than that required by law.
The audits conducted at 12 companies will not be limited to these violations. The AADE announced that these will be followed by cross-checks of their tax data and, if necessary, audits of previous tax periods.
Algorithm Helps Select Targets
One of the most important elements of the operation is the method used to select entities for audits.
The Risk Assessment Department states that it used intelligent and algorithmic methods to analyze available tax and statistical data. This does not mean that the algorithm determines who is evading taxes. The data is used to identify cases warranting attention, after which inspectors conduct an audit. In other words, the 26 vessels were not a random sample but were specifically selected.
The 2025 Campaign
The current operation is not a one-time initiative. From May through September 2025, the AADE conducted audits nationwide, with a particular focus on summer resorts. 41% of the inspections targeted tourism-related businesses, primarily restaurants, bars, hotels, and other lodging facilities. Among these businesses, violations were found in 33.73% of cases.
Data for 2025 reveal significant regional variations. In Corinthia, violations were recorded in 54.02% of inspections; in Euboea, in 47.44%; and in Ilia, in 47.22%. At the other end of the spectrum are Drama with 20.65%, Chios with 22.34%, and Kozani with 22.28%. In the Cyclades, the rate was 33%, and in the Dodecanese, 39.72%.
These figures should be interpreted with caution: they reflect what inspectors found in the companies they audited, not the proportion of all businesses in each region that evade taxes.
Closures, POS Terminals, and Thousands of Receipts
The scale of the 2025 campaign is also evident in the penalties imposed. The AADE imposed fines and suspended operations for 48 hours or more at 300 companies. 69% of them operated in the food service industry and in the rental of beach umbrellas and lounge chairs.
At the same time, 202 cases were identified where POS terminals were not connected to cash registers. The total amount of fines amounted to 2.59 million euros.
Specific examples illustrate the scale of the violations. At one restaurant in Heraklion, 18,515 receipts totaling 275,000 euros were not submitted to the AADE office. At a company on Paros, the amount involved was 111,000 euros, and the POS terminal was not connected to the cash register. On Mykonos, a store failed to issue receipts totaling 107,000 euros for previous periods, and the amount of unpaid VAT amounted to 26,000 euros.
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