- AADE launches massive summer crackdown under “Operation Theros” in tourist hotspots.
- Inspections focus on high-traffic venues: beach bars, panigyria, and luxury rentals.
- Drones, undercover inspectors, and instant data checks are used on-site.
- Harsh penalties include 48-hour to 10-day closures, plus five-year audits.
- Over €2.3 million in fines have been issued in the last month.
From Chania’s Shores to Crete’s Mountain Squares
In Crete this August, the music is not the only thing turned up. The island’s summer heartbeat — from glittering beach bars in Chania to the drumbeats of mountain village festivals — is pulsing under the watchful eye of Greece’s Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE).
Operation Theros,” the annual summer tax blitz, has shifted into high gear. Inspectors have descended on Crete alongside other tourism hotspots such as Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes, targeting venues where the cash flows fast and the temptation to dodge receipts flows even faster.
With the mid-August holiday drawing millions to islands, pilgrimage sites, and coastal resorts, AADE teams are moving quickly to shut down what they call the “festival of tax evasion” — a seasonal tradition they are determined to end.
Drones, Undercover “Tourists,” and a Long Memory
Forget clipboard-wielding officials of old. This summer’s inspectors are armed with tablets running ELEGHOSlive for instant VAT checks, data from myData and POS systems, and — where streets end — drones that scan remote villas and cliffside party spots.
Undercover agents pose as customers, ordering drinks in beach bars or checking bills in tavernas. Many are not local — a deliberate strategy to neutralize the “everybody knows everybody” factor in small communities. More than 40,000 businesses nationwide are on the target list, with Crete high on the priority map.
The offenses are familiar but costly:
- Skipping receipts entirely.
- Disabling POS terminals or refusing card payments.
- Running seasonal businesses for just weeks, vanishing before VAT is due.
Penalties With Teeth
For those caught, the penalties escalate fast:
- 48 hours closure for more than 10 missing receipts or transactions over €500.
- 96 hours closure for repeat offenders.
- 10 days closure for multiple violations in two years.
But the real sting often comes later. Once inspectors leave, the audit department digs into five years’ worth of accounts and bank records — extending to relatives. That fate already awaits 3,100 businesses caught in the last month alone.
The Numbers So Far
In just four weeks, Operation Theros has:
- Issued 87 closures.
- Collected over €2.3 million in fines.
Notable cases include:
- Mykonos: Folk art shop withheld €107,000 in receipts (2021–2022), dodging €26,000 VAT. Fine: €13,000 and 2-day closure.
- Mykonos: Italian restaurant skipped a single €28,000 bill plus €4,000 VAT in 2021. Fine: €2,000 and 48-hour closure.
- Paros & Milos: Six rental agencies failed to issue €18,000 in receipts, plus €4,350 VAT.
With inspectors now embedded in Chania for the season, the list of violations is expected to grow — a reminder that in Crete’s summer, the sun is not the only thing that burns.