"Raids" of tax agents in freelancers’ homes

The tax multi-bill tabled in parliament by Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras hides more taxes and a bigger tax hunt for all, provisions for offsets and a solidarity levy of 300 million euros for shipowners.
 
The tax office has the power from now on to raid the homes of those who say their home office is used for professional activities as well. Among other things, the bill provides for extension of the measure of car withdrawal for another year.
 
The 54 articles of the draft law of the Ministry of Finance hide measures such as:
 
-       checks in taxpayers’ homes: only under Attorney command, unless this has been declared by the taxpayer as a place of professional or business activity
-       24h tax audits: lifting restrictions so that civil servants can be employed as tax agents at all hours of the day. Auditors of the General Secretariat of Public Revenue are given the power to suspend the operation of commercial facilities where they find tax offenses
-       tax exemptions to residents of small islands: the amount of income at which income tax is levied at the rate of 22% for taxpayers residing in islands with a population of less than 3,100 inhabitants is increased by 50% (from 25,000 to 37,500 euros). Tax rates for businesses in the islands are reduced by 40%. This measure will expire after December 31, 2015 too, as Troika asks to eliminate all tax breaks and replace them by targeted benefits
-       tax to shipowners: from 2014 to 2016, they will pay a special contribution to combat the crisis, equal to twice the tax paid the previous year, for ships over 500 tonnes. The expected revenue in three years is 300 million euros
-       indirect techniques for determining tax: apart from the business, tax offices will calculate the tax for natural persons
-       offsets: the Tax Administration will offset requirements from taxes and other government revenue and may offset any other requirement

-       tax deductions to business: payments for interest on loans up to 3 million euros that paid for the service loans and expenditure on scientific and technological research increased by 30% are deductible from the gross business income at the time of their occurrence. Small businesses that sell power from photovoltaic will be alleviated
-       transfer taxes: real estate transfer tax is reduced to 3% from the start of 2014, but this does not include transfers made as parental benefit, donation, inheritance.