Land squating legislation

“With this initiative we intend to solve this chronic social problem and to increase government revenues, both from the sale of encroached land to its perpetrators and from the inclusion of the taxation of the acquired property” the Minister of Finance Gikas Hardouvelis stated at his speech in Parliament yesterday.

As he said, the Ministry will hire tax auditors within 2015, through the state hiring ASEP process. The Ministry aims to increase by 30% the number of its auditors, although as the Minister stated it has already increased their number by 400%.
Among others, Hardouvelis referred to the new system of bank accounts register, which aims at tackling money laundering cases and mentioned a number of actions taken by the Ministry so far.

• Specifically he referred to:
•     The information system, that automatically extracts data from bank accounts.
•      The electronic interface with other Ministries, in order to obtain information (from pension funds, etc).
•      The electronic register of yachts in collaboration with other relevant Ministries
•      The electronic real estate register
•      The supply of x-ray equipment for strengthening customs controls
•      The single window system, that serves import and export trade, "an action that reduces significantly the time and procedures required for the import or export of goods and that further enhances the competitiveness of the country,” as the Minister stated.