AADE: 225,551 citizen complaints via Appodixi app

Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue is carrying out intensive tax inspections of tourist businesses ahead of the mid-August holiday, the period with the highest number of visitors and the highest turnover for the sector. Inspection teams are focusing on popular destinations, checking mainly whether retail receipts are being issued and transmitted correctly. At the same time, the authority is drawing on data gathered from citizen complaints, which are submitted digitally and steer inspectors toward businesses and areas showing higher signs of non-compliance.

Fines have already been imposed on a number of businesses. In Naousa, violations were found at a restaurant, while in Paros fines were confirmed against a rooms-to-let business and a tourist enterprise. In Corfu, inspections resulted in penalties for one tourist business and one café, while in Faliraki, Rhodes, violations were recorded at two businesses. These are areas with intense summer activity, where the high volume of transactions in a short period makes inspection both more demanding and more effective.

The Appodixi app plays a decisive role in targeting inspections: citizens use it to scan the receipts they receive and file complaints. In total, 225,551 complaints have been logged, of which 102,466 were submitted under the complainant’s name. Most concern forged or fictitious receipts, as well as receipts that are issued but not transmitted to the authority’s systems. This data acts as a risk indicator, allowing inspectors to prioritise visits by sector and area.

The coastline is a separate area of inspection, with complaints recorded over the occupation of space and the operation of businesses on beaches. The areas with the most reports are Halkidiki, Eastern Attica, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and Kavala — destinations with a high density of organised beaches. The systematic digital logging of complaints is a relatively recent tool for the Greek economy and has changed the way summer inspections are planned.

For consumers, the practical takeaway is that the receipt remains the key proof of a transaction, and verifying it through the app takes only a few seconds. For businesses, the intensified inspections mean a higher chance of a visit from an inspection team during peak days, with penalties that can be severe. For tourism as a whole, compliance with the rules is also linked to price transparency, an issue that affects how destinations are perceived.

Industry bodies have periodically pointed out that inspections should distinguish between systematic violations and minor errors, particularly at businesses with seasonal and often rotating staff. For its part, the authority has stressed that targeting is based on data rather than chance. No detailed breakdown of fines by violation category has been announced, nor has the total amount imposed during this summer season.

Inspections are expected to continue after the mid-August holiday, since tourist traffic in several destinations remains high until September. Citizens can keep submitting complaints through the app, with named reports given priority because they allow cross-checking of details. In the coming period it will become clear whether the stepped-up inspection presence translates into greater compliance in issuing and transmitting receipts at Greece’s major summer destinations.