With the common goal of reducing tax and insurance burdens, strengthening liquidity, and reducing the operating costs of small and medium enterprises, the commercial world is formulating its proposals to the government ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair (DETH). The Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEP), and the Piraeus Commercial Association (ESP) are submitting comprehensive proposals as well as documented interventions ahead of DETH with the aim of improving the competitiveness of businesses and creating a more friendly business environment.
The main priorities of ESEE are:
- Exclusion of retail trade from the notional taxation method,
- Abolition of the professional tax for legal entities,
- Reduction of the tax advance and social security contributions,
- Incentives for compliant businesses (bonus for lump-sum tax payment),
Furthermore, ESEE proposes:
- Establishment of a Special Non-Seizable progressively increasing Business Account feeder,
- Automatic three-year extension of professional leases for commercial businesses that are compliant with their landlords,
- Establishment of the "Once Only" principle in transactions between businesses and the state,
- "Safe Harbour" framework to protect businesses from fines due to technical malfunctions of state digital systems.
- Special access for commerce to financial tools (NSRF, EP, PDP) for digital investments, AI, e-commerce, and green transition.
- Measures to reduce energy costs, with a cap on increases in professional electricity and natural gas tariffs, as well as special interventions for energy-intensive commercial businesses.
- Linking commerce and tourism and accelerating customs and judicial procedures to improve competitiveness and reduce operating costs.
EBEP, for its part, proposes ten measures to support small and medium entrepreneurship, focusing on permanent tax relief, improving access to financing, reducing energy costs, and strengthening competitiveness, ahead of government announcements at DETH.
Among the proposals are reducing the tax rate for legal entities, reducing the income tax advance, abolishing the professional tax where it is still applied, applying two VAT rates with a reclassification of fast-moving products, and tax incentives for productive and digital investments. The Chamber also suggests measures to strengthen liquidity for SMEs, reduce energy costs, simplify licensing, address the black market, strengthen domestic production and exports, as well as interventions for ports, shipyards, and the supply chain.
EBEP's "Decalogue of Entrepreneurship"
- Permanent tax relief and reforms without reducing revenue from direct and indirect taxes
- Reduction of non-wage costs without reducing social security revenue
- Access to financing and greater liquidity for SMEs
- Addressing energy costs for businesses
- Reducing bureaucracy and faster licensing
- Competitiveness and tackling unfair commercial practices
- Strengthening domestic production, manufacturing, and industry
- Extroversion and exports to third countries
- Shipyards – Ports – Maritime Supply Chain
- Digital transformation, technology, and innovation – "Economic Sustainability Contract for SMEs"
Finally, ESP submitted a comprehensive framework of institutional proposals to reduce the administrative and financial burden faced by businesses.
ESP notes that digital transformation is a strategic choice for the country and a necessary condition for enhancing transparency and competitiveness. However, the continuous addition of new tax, banking, digital, labor, and regulatory obligations has created an ever-increasing compliance cost, which particularly burdens small and medium enterprises.
The Piraeus Commercial Association proposes, among others:
- Establishment of a Compliance Cost Assessment before each new obligation
- Establishment of an SME Test for all bills affecting small and medium enterprises
- Implementation of the "Once Only" principle and creation of a Unified Digital Business Portal
- Establishment of a "Safe Harbour" framework in cases of malfunction of state information systems
- Tax incentives for digital compliance investments
- Rationalization of bank charges
- Creation of a National Observatory of Compliance Cost for Small and Medium Enterprises
- Establishment of transparency rules in the fees of electronic invoicing providers, with an obligation to clearly publish the pricing methodology and assessment of the proportionality of charges between retail and wholesale
Source: newsit.gr
