Sales receipts, satellite photos and now home videos will be used in Greece in a never-ending quest against tax evasion which costs the cash-strapped nation billions of euros a year.
The Greek finance ministry on Thursday said it would pay budding filmmakers, including teenagers, up to 5,000 euros for homemade TV clips “to bolster tax awareness and deal with tax evasion in Greece.”
The top ten entries, to be aired on national television in finance ministry campaigns, would be awarded prizes between 1,000 and 5,000 euros.
Strapped for cash and having recently avoided bankruptcy only thanks to a loan from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the Greek government is cracking down on hidden wealth.
In recent months, the state has used satellite photography to ferret out undeclared swimming pools, and has repeatedly urged the public to demand receipts for goods and service purchases — a call which many ignore, as undeclared transactions are now even cheaper after recent sales tax hikes.
It has also overhauled the tax system, eliminating special rates formerly enjoyed by many professionals and even levying higher sums on the influential Orthodox Church, but revenue is still falling short of target.
Tax evasion costs the Greek state an estimated 10 billion euros a year.(AFP)
希臘政府為了抑止逃漏稅不遺餘力，曾以銷售收據、衛星照片，而現在又想出奇招，打算以家庭自製的錄影影片打擊逃漏稅。逃漏稅使得資金短缺的希臘每年都損失數十億歐元。
希臘財政部上週四表示，將以最高獎金五千歐元為限，給剛出道的影片製作人，包括青少年，以製作家庭錄影，達到「加強希臘的納稅觀念，並打擊逃漏稅」。
前十名作品將以財政部的宣傳活動為名，在國有電視頻道播放，並將獲得一千到五千歐元的獎金。
需錢孔急，最近才因為歐洲聯盟與國際貨幣基金的借款紓困，而免於破產命運的希臘政府，近日嚴厲查緝這隱匿民間的財富。
最近幾個月，希臘政府才使用衛星照搜查沒有申報的游泳池，並一再呼籲人民索取購買物品與服務的收據許多人都不都不清楚，各種沒有申報的交易最近在銷售稅上漲後變得更有利可圖。
政府也大舉改造稅務系統，取消先前許多專業人員的優惠稅率，並且增加具有影響力的東正教會的稅負，但收入還是跟目標差一大截。
初步估計，逃漏稅使希臘每年損失一百億歐元。
（法新社�翻譯：吳岱璟）
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