After tax evasion is “stopped” by POS everywhere, what finance officials want to do is… a bye pass on the charges consumers pay for electronic payments.
In addition to a legislative “brake” on card fees — a move that frees up professionals — mandatory acceptance of payments through IRIS is being used as leverage. The (again) signal sent by K. Hatzidakis was clear: the deadline for processing the application is June 30″.
A fine of 1,500 euros is not small to be neglected by a professional, and even more so if the qualified services (DIMEA, Region, AADE) “visit”, it can also open the “door” to other checks. Taking into account that according to DIAS data, only 277 thousand professionals have implemented IRIS, this means that at least 450 thousand people have to “run” in order not to suffer the consequences.
The penalty is 50% “scissors” if the professional pays it in any case within 30 days and before the procedure of appeal. This “scissors” applies if, within 30 days from the date of filing the complaint or the date of the audit, the document proving the use of direct payment services from the account is submitted to the competent auditing company. In the account, ie IRIS. And this is just the beginning. As K. Hatzidakis clarified, the intention of the Ministry of Finance is to proceed with the global expansion of the possibility of direct payments, i.e. IRIS, 7 months earlier than the issuance of the relevant regulation, i.e. until March 31, 2025.
The purpose of the expansion of electronic payments is twofold. On the one hand, providing convenience and exemption from charges to consumers, on the other hand, enabling more safety nets in the fight against tax evasion. According to GLK data, the benefit to the state treasury from this war is estimated at around 500 million euros in 2023, and the goal is to gradually reach 2 billion euros annually.
IRIS
According to DIAS data, 2,564,340 citizens are currently registered with the IRIS service. Users of the service can directly and easily make their money transfers to friends using their mobile number, without knowing the IBAN, as long as they have activated the IRIS service in their bank’s mobile banking.
The money transfer process is completed in seconds and the payee is notified immediately after the transaction is complete. The user retains the flexibility to remit the amount from the bank and account of his choice. The daily transaction limit is 500 euros, although banks are under pressure to double this limit.
How IRIS works
The service provides an opportunity to pay for purchases made in the online store by charging the payment account of a consumer bank (Alpha Bank, National Bank, Eurobank, Piraeus Bank and Viva Wallet) through e-banking or mobile banking:
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Step 1: Select IRIS Payment Service as payment method.
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Step 2: Select “Generate QR Code” to scan the QR from your mobile banking or select your bank and you will automatically be taken to the bank’s secure e-banking environment.
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Step 3: You enter your bank details and after secure login, you will be updated with payment details.
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Step 4: Pay by credit transfer from your bank account by giving your approval.
The company receives the relevant confirmation in real time and you are immediately transferred to the website of the online store where you can check your order after the transaction is completed.