Summer is the wedding season, and Greece is the perfect place for a beautiful wedding ceremony. And although in recent years there has been a decline in the desire of couples to get married, the institution of marriage in Greece is still held in high esteem. Wedding celebrations - too.
Recently, the famous Greek tennis player Maria Sakari, who will marry the son of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis - Konstantinos, jokingly stated in an interview with the American specialized television channel Tennis Channel that they are preparing a “small wedding“ with 500-600 guests, bTV writes.
For the family of a hereditary politician like the Greek Prime Minister, such a scale of the wedding celebration is somewhat understandable. But big weddings in Greece are organized not only by people with their contacts, but also by a number of popular and not so popular figures.
A few years ago, the Greek media widely covered a grand wedding of a couple known in the public sphere. For days, television programs and columns in the print media showed photos from the celebration with impressive decorations, a huge wedding cake, and an elegant wedding dress.
Popular personalities were present, a famous Greek singer sang for the guests. Social networks were flooded with posts from the event, and the bride published a list of everyone who participated in the organization on her Instagram profile.
However, the information on social networks was intercepted by special tax software and a tax team that "scanned" the network. And the happy event turned into a tax nightmare.
It turned out that not a single participant was clean before the state. The authorities detected a serious discrepancy between the declared income and the information published on their personal social networks, in which in practice advertise their activities. A tax audit was launched, during which it was found that there were serious violations of tax legislation by all those involved, the newspaper “Proto tema“ wrote at the time.
This particular wedding, which has gained exceptional popularity, is still a clear example of the scale of the shadow economy in Greece, showing how individuals and legal entities manage to hide income and avoid paying taxes.
In recent years, the Greek authorities have gradually strengthened control over income, but now there are requests for its even greater tightening.
Tax evasion is now being monitored with artificial intelligence, as the Independent Authority for State Revenue (AADE) has introduced a system for electronic data detection and "smart" control, the electronic edition of the newspaper “Proto tema” reports. AADE creates a full digital profile for each tax number in order to detect deviations and undeclared income. It is being done and analysis of whether the declared income corresponds to the financial behavior of taxpayers, and 90 countries cooperate with the Greek tax authorities and submit information to them.
With the introduction of the new methods, the state is now aware of whether the photos published on the Internet from a wedding celebration meet the standard declared to the official authorities. Affected in this case will be both the newlyweds and those involved in the organization of the event, because everyone's income will be able to be detected automatically.
The expectations are that through the new control system with the help of artificial intelligence, an additional 1.5 billion euros will enter the state, reports the Greek financial publication "Capital" in information on the subject.
The tax authorities pay special attention to the sector of organizing events such as receptions, weddings, baptisms, concerts, parties, seminars, trainings, where there are often cases of payment in person and without issuing financial documents. From this summer "every wedding and joy" is mandatory declared on a special digital platform, according to information on "Sky" television. Under the "microscope" of AADE also come gatherings, dance gatherings, private parties in villas, beach parties on islands.
The tax authorities are turning their attention to a sector where there is a large flow of financial resources and is an intersection point for the joint activities of various services, writes an article on the topic in "Imerisia". The digital register of clients will now cover weddings, baptisms, company events and receptions. Companies operating in the sector must record each client and the payments made by them.
The state's intention is to have a complete picture of all events, where they are organized, how many people participate and what is the financial impact of such gatherings.
The goal is to limit the share of the shadow economy in the service sector, which is traditionally high in Greece.
The example of the inspections of the Independent Authority for State Revenue (AADE) in hairdressing salons, for example, is indicative. In April, AADE reported that violations are detected in nearly 90 percent of the inspections carried out. A striking case of concealment of income of nearly half a million euros also gained publicity. The violation was detected in Ioannina, where a hairdresser did not declare income in the amount of 472,200 euros. A similar "haircut" of income was also detected in Athens, where a taxpayer managed to conceal 3.2 million euros of income over a period of two years, and another increased his assets by over half a million euros without the source of the money being clear.
In order to combat the phenomenon of "tax evasion", the competent authorities are no longer working blindly. They open bank accounts, intercept data, "read" digital archives and monitor cash flows across various platforms - from e-commerce to delivery services and short-term rental payments.
The tax authorities in Greece are seriously tightening control by implementing a simple but effective scheme - an initial comparison of expenses and declared income. If the bills do not come out, the system sounds the alarm. And then the real search begins - targeting bank accounts, properties and everyday cash transactions.
The goal is to impose financial discipline that will lead to higher revenues for the state and limit tax evasion, which, along with corruption, are among the most serious problems for the Greek economy.
In the first quarter of 2026, the AADE detected about 50,000 violations, with the value of the hidden transactions amounting to 5.6 million euros, reports public television ERT, citing a statement from the tax office.
The authorities now hope that by increasing digital inspection tools, tax collection will increase, taxpayers will discipline themselves and the economy will brighten.