Koutsi is characterized by the owners as the platform of KEDE, which started its B operating cycle on November 6, 2021, as its reworking is only connected to the undeclared surfaces and there is no provision for the declaration of non-electrified properties, as happened last time.
As explained by the president of POMIDA Mr. Stratos Paradias in “Ecopress”, “there are already strong protests on this specific issue: “Maybe 70% of the municipalities have gained access to the DEDDIE file and they see what is happening. However, with the interruption of the electricity supply, the charging of municipal fees does not stop at the same time. The exemption from municipal fees starts from the moment someone submits the relevant declaration to the municipality. The fact that the platform was opened this time only for undeclared square footage, and not for declaration of non-electrified properties, leaves many owners trapped. These are people next door, who don’t believe they have suffered such damage. Because everyone thinks that when the electricity goes out, no municipal fees are charged. By that logic, the platform is lame.” The president of POMIDA also underlines the necessity for there to be no deadline in its operation: “To consider the continuation of the operation of the platform with the possibility of declaring undeclared surfaces in the future, with increasing rates of fines +5% every six months and a limit of 50%. Do not close the Platform. Platforms cannot be closed during the Pierrakaki era”, he emphasizes.
There should be provision for empty and non-electrified spaces
The majority of citizens do not know that in order to get rid of municipal fees and taxes in a non-electrified property, it is not enough to cut off the electricity supply. They ignore that exemption from them will only apply from the day of submission of a statement to the Municipality. Therefore, they face exorbitant fines, as POMIDA has repeatedly underlined in its successive letters to relevant government officials. In vacant and non-electrified properties, the declaration exempts the owner from municipal cleaning and lighting fees only from the date of its submission to the revenue service, and not from the day of the power cut. In contrast to the previous provision of 2005, for which 20 years had preceded the owners, which dismissed the citizen retroactively and regardless of the time of filing the responsible declaration, as the Citizen’s Advocate had also given an opinion. Until today, this strict condition leaves the ordinary and uninformed citizen, who will not know about this new obligation, exposed to the risk of being burdened mercilessly with huge retroactive debts of up to 20 years, which, especially in commercial real estate, will literally have a confiscatory character since they may even exceed the current value of the property itself!
Problem of hundreds of owners
Unfortunately, the bitter realization for too many owners comes at the moment when the interested owner, or his heirs, ask the municipalities for the required certificates for sales transfers, parental support or acceptance of inheritance of the property.
What applies to non-electrified properties
Non-electrified properties are not are exempted from the payment of Real Estate Tax (article 24 of Law 2130/1993). The owners must declare, within two months of the interruption, to the Municipality for the calculation of the Municipal Taxes (MT) and the Real Estate Tax (TAP). Late submission of a declaration of non-Electrified Property results in imputation, VAT and TAP at the expense of the owner, with the imposition of a fine, from the date of interruption to the date of declaration. All this leads to retroactive charges of municipal fees against the owners of this category which currently reach 13 years and will increase annually by one year, up to 20 years!
Which owners are liable for the TAP debt
To the owners of electrified properties, the TAP is collected directly through the electricity provider’s account. For the non-electrified (buildings or plots) in which the T.A.P is collected by the Municipalities to which they belong and are declared.
Which facilities were provided by the electronic platform of KEDE
Properties without electricity are divided into two categories: First, for properties whose electricity supply was interrupted at any time in the past, owners who made corrective declarations of hidden square footage were exempted from fines and surcharges. However, as regards the Property Tax (TAP), they will have to pay it retroactively for the entire period of interruption of the electricity supply. They were also exempted from municipal taxes for the extra square meters they declared both for the period until 12-31-2019 and after that date and until the re-electrification of the property.
Regarding the owners of properties which have never been electrified, and which were declared for the first time through the electronic platform to the Municipalities, a full exemption from all municipal taxes and municipal fees applies. However, from 1-1-2020 they will only have to pay Property Tax (TAP).
POMIDA’s efforts and proposals
POMIDA’s efforts and proposals
The resumption of operation of the platform until 31.12.2021, as well as its initial multi-month operation in 2020, with which property owners avoided paying more than 1.5 billion euros in retroactive fees and fines, was based on the legislative proposals and the continuous actions of POMIDA.
The same as the extension of the validity of the simple engineer certificate for property transfers and parental benefits until 31.12.2021. As is well known, the “Building Identity” will apply from 1.1.2022 and as they say in POMIDA, “God save the owners who will be left “out of the limelight” in the fight for parental benefits until 31.12.2021!”.
POMIDA has long made public both to KEDE and to the political leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the remaining necessary interventions it proposes for the B operating cycle of the electronic application, which are as follows:
- Automatic (without declaration to the Municipality) interruption of municipal cleaning and lighting charges in every property where the electricity supply is interrupted.
- Limitation of Municipalities’ claims for real estate fees in 5 years, from the 20 years currently in force
- Limitation (ceiling) of the valid municipal real estate fee fines (today 60%, 100% and 200%!!!) to upper limit of 50%.
- To consider the continuation of the operation of the platform with the possibility of declaring undeclared areas in the future as well, with increasing fine rates +5% every six months and a limit there of 50%.
