Greece is taking bold steps to modernize its financial and tax administration, leaving behind years of inefficiency and distrust that marked the country’s debt crisis. With the integration of big data, artificial intelligence, and even drones, the government is seeking to strengthen compliance, combat tax evasion, and rebuild public confidence in state institutions.
For decades, Greece struggled with weak tax collection and widespread avoidance, which worsened the financial turmoil of the 2010s. Now, authorities are betting on advanced technology to change the narrative. Central to this effort is a newly developed digital platform that cross-checks vast amounts of data in real time — from business transactions to online payments — allowing inspectors to spot irregularities much faster than before.
Drones are also part of the picture. The tax authority has deployed them in tourist hotspots to monitor luxury yachts and short-term rentals, sectors often linked with undeclared income. Combined with AI tools that flag suspicious patterns, the initiative is designed to close long-standing loopholes in Greece’s tax system.
Officials argue that the reforms are not just about catching cheats but about building a fairer system. By making compliance easier through digital invoicing and transparent online services, they hope to reduce bureaucracy and encourage taxpayers to engage with the system willingly.
The move is being closely watched by other European countries, many of which face similar challenges in ensuring compliance in the digital age. While critics warn of potential privacy concerns and the need for careful oversight, the government insists that technology is the only way to prevent a repeat of past crises.
Ultimately, Greece’s experiment reflects a broader European trend: the use of advanced technologies to enforce tax fairness and restore public trust. Whether drones and algorithms can succeed where traditional reforms failed remains to be seen, but the country is determined to prove that lessons from its troubled past can pave the way for a more transparent financial future.