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In the period 25 July to 1 August the Office for Combating Economic Crimes carried out 1,465 checks which showed that the highest percentage of tax evasion was in the region of the islands of Evia and Skyros. During these checks, a total of 731 offenders and 3,904 violations were discovered. The average percentage of violations is 49.89% and its geographical distribution is as follows:

Evia, Skyros - 85.13 %

Milos - 81.81 %

Kos - 78.38 %

Porto Heli, Ermioni, Spetses - 70.58%

Phocis - 66.67%

Argolis, Laconia, Arcadia - 64.10 %

Mykonos - 63.73 %

Sifnos - 62.50 %

Crete - 59.63 %

Santorini - 56.36 %

Corinthia - 52.17 %

Achaia - 50.38 %

Serifos - 50.00 %

Naxos - 50.00 %

Rhodes - 50.00 %

Corfu - 50.00 %

Attica - 49.02 %

Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Thassos - 43.59 %

Halkidiki - 41.86 %

Thessaloniki, Pieria - 41.35 %

Paros-Andiparos - 40.00 %

Aegina - 37.50 %

Messinia - 37.50 %

Lesvos - 21.09 %

Ioannina, Thesprotia, Preveza - 17.54 %

One of the typical examples of tax evasion is the concert of famous singer Yiannis Ploutarhos in Alexandroupoli. The Office for Combating Economic Crimes found uncertified tickets. According to sources from the Office, the tickets did not have the appropriate certification and the private contract of Yiannis Ploutarhos which provides payment amounting to 3,000 euro for the singer wasn’t registered in the local tax office in Alexandroupoli.

It came to light that the sports company which organises the concert was engaged with the organisation on behalf of a known businessman with interests in the entertainment industry who in this way achieved more favourable taxation, since the businessman would have paid a higher value-added tax.

Only five days after the opening of a nightclub in Kallithea, Halkidiki in which Panos Kiamos sang, the Office for Combating Economic Crimes caught the "big fish" in Alexandroupoli, at a concert that was attended by 2,500 people who paid 15 euro for a ticket. The concert was organised by the sports company Alexandroupoli "Alex" chairman of which Yiannis Lianidis was arrested yesterday and sentenced to 18 months in prison with a 3-year delay and a cash fine amounting to 12,000 euro. In a statement, the chairman of the amateur football club claimed that he was unaware of 916 uncertified tickets that weren’t sold outside the stadium before the concert, but at points of presale and he could not control it. He also argued that the remaining tickets which were about 1,500 and sold outside the stadium were regularly audited by tax authorities. This was disputed by the Office for Combating Economic Crimes representatives of which claim that the tickets had no certification. 2,416 tickets at a price of 15 euro were sold for the concert and 916 of them have not been certified by the tax office, and the rest did not have regular certification either.

Yiannis Ploutarhos, Picture: www.ethnos.gr

In a statement, Yiannis Ploutarhos said that he had no relation to this tax evasion. "I have fully observed the law in everything and will not accept any defamation of my name," emphasised Ploutarhos.

From the beginning of the concert, representatives of the Office for Combating Economic Crimes were at the stadium checking tickets of the audience. Once they discovered that there was tax evasion, the prosecutor was informed. The concert took place according to the original plan.

"They are obliged to issue certified tickets and pay VAT due, according to the number of tickets sold," said a source of the Office for Combating Economic Crimes for Ethnos newspaper, adding that the investigation into the case is continuing, with no violations on the side of the singer discovered so far. The Ministry of Finance is aware of practices in which artists participate in charity concerts, in which, however, businessmen are involved who do not want anybody to know about their participation and be taxed. In the past, various organisations have been accused of having been in touch with businessmen who urged them to organise concerts, but ultimately no or little money entered the vaults of the organisations, since it was spent on expenditures or in fact went into the pockets of businessmen.