Two out of every ten euros in taxes in Greece are still paid late, highlighting the country’s ongoing struggle with tax compliance, even as public revenues and the overall volume of on-time payments continue to rise.
According to tax compliance data for the full year of 2025 released by Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), most taxpayers do pay their obligations on time. However, a significant share of tax liabilities is still pushed into arrears, putting pressure on public finances and contributing to the buildup of overdue tax debt.
In value added tax (VAT), on-time payments increased from €15.40 billion in 2024 to €17.16 billion in 2025, an increase of about 11.4%. Total VAT assessed rose from €18.72 billion to €21.03 billion, an increase of roughly 12.4%. Despite the higher amounts collected, the rate of on-time payments fell slightly from 82.27% to 81.57%. Personal income tax showed a similar trend. On-time payments rose from €3.38 billion to €3.82 billion, an increase of around 13.0%, while total assessed tax increased from €4.58 billion to €5.17 billion, up about 12.8%. The on-time payment rate improved only marginally, from 73.76% to 73.92%.
In corporate income tax, on-time payments increased from €6.67 billion in 2024 to €7.20 billion in 2025, an increase of approximately 8.1%. Total assessed tax rose from €7.46 billion to €8.14 billion, an increase of about 9.2%, while the on-time payment rate declined from 89.42% to 88.50%. Property tax revenues remained relatively stable. On-time payments increased slightly from €1.85 billion to €1.87 billion, while total assessed tax rose from €2.35 billion to €2.36 billion. The on-time payment rate improved modestly from 78.67% to 79.12%.
Overall, the data show that although the absolute amount of taxes paid on time increased in 2025, the overall rate of timely payments declined slightly, falling from 82.45% in 2024 to 81.87% in 2025. This suggests that while tax revenues are growing, late payments remain a persistent structural issue for the Greek tax system.
