Who will receive a "letter" this year and not E1 tax return forms

The Finance ministry will mail about 800,000 fewer tax return forms this year, equal to the number of those who last year declared incomes of 13,000 euros or more, but used to complete their tax forms by hand.

For them the Finance ministry this year has made its own plans. Instead of the envelope with the E1 form, just after Easter they will receive a letter that will notify them that under the new law they will have to complete their statement and submit it online (at www. Gsis.gr) as long as their income in 2011 (statement of 2012) actually exceeded 12,000 euros.

How does the Finance ministry know that these specific individuals that will receive a letter in 2011 had incomes of more than 12,000 euros and therefore are not required to fill the E1 forms this year? It doesn´t! It will speculate however, taking into account their income in 2010 that was declared in 2011.

For reasons of economizing on paper (they will save more than 1 million euros), officials sought to send forms and instructions for E1 statements only to those who had declared 13,000 euros or less last year, and who constitute the overwhelming majority of Greeks. Based on a downward trend in income, the ministry estimates that they probably did not exceed 12,000 euros and thus may opt to submit a handwritten statement and not an electronic one.

Along with the letter they will receive their password for the first registration on Taxisnet. But the remaining 800,000, who until last year declared incomes of 13,000-14,000 euros or more, will not receive E1 forms. So the ministry will save over 1 million euros compared to last year, when it mailed the income tax return forms to all 5.5 million households.

But what will it do if a taxpayer does not receive the E1 statements because last year they declared an income of 15,000 or 30,000 or 60,000 euros, but this year have lost their job or have 50% -70% of their past income? The letter will tell them to... roughly estimate their own income and that if it goes below 12,000 euros and they insist on handwriting the statement rather than submitting it electronically, they can visit any tax office and ask for the necessary forms and the instructions to complete them.

It should be noted that the tax returns must be submitted by June 15, 2012 and the Finance ministry estimates that this year there will be more than 3,500,000 online statements.

In accordance to the ministry´s decision, only retirees will be exempted from electronic submission, unless they acquired income from personal business or professional activity or participated in CO and EU companies in 2011. Pensioners can submit their income tax returns either in handwritten form to the relevant tax office or electronically if they wish to do so.