Sales receipts, satellite photos and now home videos will be used in Greece in a never-ending quest against tax evasion which costs the cash-strapped nation billions of euros a year. The Greek finance ministry said it would pay budding filmmakers including teenagers up to €5000 ($7174.50) for home-made TV clips "to bolster tax awareness and deal with tax evasion in Greece." The top ten entries, to be aired on national television in finance ministry campaigns, would be awarded prizes between €1000 and €5000. Strapped for cash and having recently avoided bankruptcy only thanks to a loan from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the Greek government is cracking down on hidden wealth.
In recent months, the state has used satellite photography to ferret out undeclared swimming pools, and has repeatedly urged the public to demand receipts for goods and service purchases - a call which many ignore, as undeclared transactions are now even cheaper after recent sales tax hikes.
Tax evasion costs the Greek state an estimated €10 billion a year.
27.08.2010
