To the Minister of Finance Mr. Christos Staikouras
The Deputy Minister of Finance Mr. Apostolos Vesyropoulos
Inside Athens, 15.3.2021
SUBJECT: Postponement of taxation of uncollected rents 2020 by extrajudicial, issuance of pending YAs for 40% discount due to upgrading works & payment of inheritance tax with the transfer of property.
Dear Ministers,
In view of the start of the process of submitting the 2020 income tax returns, together with our request to immediately extend the possibility of submitting initial COVID returns for the months March- October 2020, we also bring to your attention the following current and urgent requests:
1. POSTPONEMENT OF TAXATION OF UNCOLLECTED RENTS WITH NOTICE OF EXECUTION.
During 2020, due to the pandemic and its consequences, a significant part of rents has become impossible to collect from landlords, but it is also impossible on their part to comply with the current legal procedure for postponing his taxation, with the courts of the country closed, but also with DOU that citizens are unable to visit to submit the prescribed legal supporting documents. Therefore, because it is unfair to be taxed for rents that we did not collect, we ask that you immediately add the following new paragraph to article 39 par. 4 of the Tax Code:
«Especially for the postponement of taxation of uncollected rents for the year 2020, it is sufficient to serve the lessee with the out-of-court “written notice” provided for by article 637 of the Code of Civil Procedure as a prerequisite for the issuance of an order for the return of rent, in which the uncollected rents will be specified precisely rent amounts.”.
> the registration of uncollected rents to be deferred for taxation.
2. ISSUE OF AN INCOME TAX REDUCTION BY 40% OF BUILDING UPGRADE COSTS.
Article 16 of Law 4646/2019, valid from 1.1.2020, defines that “the expenses incurred for receiving services related to the energy, functional and aesthetic upgrading of buildings, the which have not already joined or will not join a building upgrade program, reduce the personal income tax by 40% of their amount, equally distributed over a period of four years, up to the corresponding tax for each tax year, with a total upper limit expenditure of sixteen thousand (16,000) euros”. The law further states that “by a joint decision of the ministers of finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the governor of AADE, the conditions, the terms, the procedure and any other necessary detail for the implementation of this shall be determined”.
We request the immediate issuance of this KYA so that taxpayers who have incurred such expenses can include them in their next tax returns.
3. ISSUANCE OF MINISTERIAL DECISION FOR PAYMENT OF INHERITANCE TAX BY TRANSFER OF PROPERTY. Referring to decisions that the Administration refuses to issue, we invite you to immediately issue the Ministerial Decision provided for by the provisions of Laws 4261/2014 (Article 184 § 9) and 4276/2014 (Article 52 § 15), which will regulate the procedure for payment of the inheritance tax with the transfer of property to the Greek State, which has been legislated but is inapplicable due to the non-issue of this decision, which has brings despair to a number of citizens across the country, as can be seen from the relevant document of the Ombudsman: https://www.synigoros.gr/resources/epistolh-pros-ypoyrgeio-oikonomikwn.pdf
With great regards
The President, Stratos Paradias
The Secretary General, Tasos G. Vappas
