Fifty people and companies, including developers and football clubs, owe the state over €163 million in taxes it emerged on Monday, following the leak of a confidential finance ministry list submitted to parliament.
The list includes first division clubs, developers, hoteliers and other businesses that owe the state between €1.5 million and €14.7 million – the highest amount.
The state has filed lawsuits against most and has made collection arrangements with others. Restrictions have also been placed on immovable property.
Nicosia football clubs Omonia and APOEL owe around €7 million and €6 million respectively. AEL of Limassol and Anorthosis Famagusta owe €2.2 million and €3.1 million respectively. The list includes a second entry for Anorthosis, which owes €2.4 million. All the clubs have made arrangements with the state for repayment of the amounts.
The state has also filed a lawsuit against APOEL and restrictions have been placed on property.
Included in the list is NK Shacolas Group LTD, which owes €6.8 million, Miltiades Neophytou LTD, €5.7 million, Athienitis developers, €4.2 million, Giovani developers, €3.6 million, Venus Rock Estates, €2 million, Aristo developers, €1.8 million, Pafilia, €1.7 million, and Christophoros Karayiannas and Son Ltd, €1.5 million.
The list does not include amounts which have been appealed nor the names of individuals and companies who have gone bankrupt or are under administration.
It was submitted after Green party MP Giorgos Perdikis accused Finance Minister Harris Georgiades of providing cover to tax evaders.
Perdikis had asked for the names of the people and companies who owed the most to the tax department.
Georgiades said it was a matter of confidentiality, clearly stipulated in tax legislation.
“Fully respecting the right of every MP to exercise critic, I consider the references unfair and excessive, especially when restrictions arise from legal provisions that parliament has passed,” Georgiades said in a letter accompanying the list.
Confidentiality can be lifted for reasons of public interest, the minister said, but the tax commissioner decided no such reason existed in relation with the MP’s request.
However, the law also afforded the minister the power to have the final say and allows him to give the list to the house president, exclusively for parliamentary oversight reasons, with the proviso that it would be handled confidentially and its publication would be avoided so as not to hurt public trust.
Link to the list [Greek only] here: lista.pdf
| 1. R.X. Processing | 14, 747,554 |
| 2. Mediterranean Holiday Res LTD | 9, 750, 222 |
| 3. Omonia Football Club | 7, 034, 885 |
| 4. N. K. Shacolas-Holdings LTD | 6, 855, 827 |
| 5. APOEL Football club LTD | 6, 151, 892 |
| 6. Firmworth Finance and Investments LTD | 6, 088, 894 |
| 7. C.N.H. Ependysis Axias LTD | 5, 888, 806 |
| 8. Miltiades Neophytou C. E. & Developers | 5, 753, 877 |
| 9. Chacholis Developers LTD | 5, 904, 677 |
| 10. K. Athienitis Con. Devel. Public Ltd | 4, 217, 999 |
| 11. A.C.L.N. LTD | 3, 994, 818 |
| 12. Tauler Consultants LTD | 3, 939, 268 |
| 13. Giovani Developers LTD | 3,650, 016 |
| 14. Renos Hadjioannou Farm LTD | 3, 600, 533 |
| 15. Kofinou Abbatoir | 3,196, 216 |
| 16. Anorthosis Football Club | 3, 146, 394 |
| 17. Olveron Investments LTD | 2, 876, 969 |
| 18. Suphire Securities and Fin. Serv. LTD | 2, 587, 647 |
| 19. Michalis D. Zavos Investments LTD | 2, 546, 936 |
| 20. C.T. Tobacco LTD | 2, 505, 596 |
| 21. Kleanthis Savva Developers LTD | 2, 457, 988 |
| 22. Anorthosis Ammochostos Football Club | 2, 456,042 |
| 23. Paphos Mediterran Hotels LTD | 2, 398, 537 |
| 24. Oikonomou Georgios | 2, 386, 926 |
| 25. CYEMS CO LTD | 2, 351, 329 |
| 26. Cyproperties Constructions LTD | 2, 293, 585 |
| 27. AEL Football Club | 2, 290, 948 |
| 28. Lagos Vaggelis | 2, 230, 708 |
| 29. Makrides Zacharias | 2, 222, 618 |
| 30. Marzen Holdings Company LTD | 2, 217, 942 |
| 31. Sigma –Severis & Athienitis Secu. LTD | 2, 182,032 |
| 32. Chacholis Development Operations LTD | 2,177, 463 |
| 33. UNISYS World Trade Inc. | 2, 152, 279 |
| 34. Zaquato LTD | 2, 120, 367 |
| 35. Venus Rock Estates LTD | 2, 068, 281 |
| 36. Global Value PLC | 1, 937, 586 |
| 37. Transport Investments Holdings LTD | 1, 929, 109 |
| 38 Omikron Bookmakers LTD | 1, 928, 299 |
| 39. Panos Eliades LTD | 1, 922, 292 |
| 40. A. & E. Transport LTD | 1,910, 685 |
| 41. Aristo Developments | 1, 835, 170 |
| 42. Starcloud Management LTD | 1, 786, 978 |
| 43. Alexandros Demetriou & Sons LTD | 1, 755, 027 |
| 44. Pafilia Property Developers LTD | 1, 747, 434 |
| 45. W Investments LTD | 1, 740, 771 |
| 46. M.K. Digital World (Cyprus) LTD | 1, 735, 549 |
| 47. D. Zavos Group Land & BLDG Develop. | 1, 609, 619 |
| 48. Gregoris Yiasemi & Sons Develop. LTD | 1, 583, 283 |
| 49. Christoforos Karayiannas & Son LTD | 1, 518, 283 |
| 50. Charalambou Filippos | 1, 488, 784 |
Source: Cyprus Mail