Taxpayers whose presumed income is higher than their actual income have two months to find ways to avoid paying additional tax. Taxpayers can claim income, loans received, lump sums, compensation, and gambling winnings to avoid the presumption.
The arbitrary presumption of real incomes through property assets (known as “tekmiria”) is based on the individual presumptive expenditure, which amounts to 3,000 euros for each single taxpayer and €5,000 for couples, and is increased on the basis of living expenses related to annual housing maintenance costs, private cars, yachts, swimming pools, aircraft and other luxury goods. If the income declared by the taxpayer is lower than the sum of the presumed expenses, then the tax office taxes then based on the presumptions.
According to the latest available data, last year 1,540,255 taxpayers were caught by the presumed income system.
In fact, an additional income of €4.4 billion was demanded from them, while they had declared €2.9 billion. In other words, they were taxed for a total income of €7.3 billion. The majority of these taxpayers were salaried and retired (947,676 taxpayers), followed by income earners (319,734 taxpayers), entrepreneurs (195,843 taxpayers) and farmers (77,002 taxpayers).