More than 450 beneficiaries turned to the accounting service of the SolidarityNow Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki during the summer months of 2024, in order to receive support for the submission of their tax returns. The beneficiaries were successfully served and many of them requested also support for other similar issues, such as the management of their pension contribution stamps, debt adjustment etc.

In fact, in one case, the employer was found to have failed to pay the pension stamps, resulting in the referral of the person concerned to the Labour Inspectorate. However, not everything went smoothly! This is because the changes made this year to the submission of tax returns have significantly affected many beneficiaries who were unable to respond in time to what seem to be simple steps.

Initially, the use of a bank account was compulsory for the submission of the declaration, a requirement that was prohibitive for a part of the population that did not have and could not afford a bank account due to unemployment. This arrangement was eventually changed to voluntary, but this was done towards the end of the submission period, thus not allowing sufficient time for the excluded to be notified and to make their declarations.

Further difficulties were also created by the new automatic declaration system launched this year, due to non-updated contact details. As phone lines are discontinued after two (2) months without a package renewal, and phone devices are often lost or misplaced along with the numbers themselves and email access, the appropriate messages may have been sent to those served but were impossible to receive.

Also, the language barrier plays an important role, since even if the notification from the IAPR (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) reaches the beneficiaries’ device, it is often impossible to read it. Consequently, many beneficiaries were not informed about this and ultimately their declaration was submitted with incorrect data. Nevertheless, amended declarations were made where possible, and fines imposed by mistake were avoided, as benefits were taxed as tax-free.

Τέλος, το χρονικό διάστημα που δόθηκε για την υποβολή των δηλώσεων ανήλθε μόλις στις 100 ημέρες, περίοδος αρκετά περιορισμένη για την εξυπηρέτηση του συνόλου των ωφελούμενων, ειδικά για τη Βόρεια Ελλάδα, όπου το Κέντρο Υποστήριξης Προσφύγων στη Θεσσαλονίκη είναι η μοναδική υπηρεσία που παρέχει τη δυνατότητα δωρεάν φορολογικής δήλωσης, με αποτέλεσμα οικονομικά ευάλωτοι άνθρωποι να υποχρεωθούν να πληρώσουν ιδιώτη λογιστή.

Finally, the time given for the submission of the returns was only 100 days, a period limited to serve all beneficiaries, especially in Northern Greece, where the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki is the only Center that offers free accounting services, resulting in financially vulnerable people having to pay a private accountant.

*SolidarityNow implements the project “𝗕𝗥𝗖 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀“, funded by UNHCR GREECE from April 2023. The aim of the project is the social and economic integration of asylum seekers and refugees through support for their integration into the labour market. Services are provided daily at the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.