How Tax Administration Supported Greece’s Economic Recovery

IMF News, May 14, 2026

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Greece moved from being shut out of markets and reliant on external financial support to being one of only five European Union countries running a primary budget surplus.
The IMF’s Article IV consultation finds Greece well positioned to cope with external shocks, reflecting strengthened fiscal sustainability and financial stability.
Key macro-fiscal outcomes cited:
- Primary surplus rose to nearly 5 percent of GDP in 2024-25.
- Public debt-to-GDP ratio has fallen by about 65 percentage points from its 2020 peak.
- Financing conditions improved, with sovereign spreads returning to levels last seen before the 2008 global financial crisis.
Central insight: a transformed tax administration—through sustained, well-sequenced institutional reform—was a core driver of fiscal credibility and Greece’s broader recovery.

Reform unfolded in three mutually reinforcing phases—stabilization (2010–12), institution building (2013–17), and digital transformation (2018–25)—supported throughout by IMF capacity development.

2010–2012: Stabilization

Early focus: stabilize revenue flows and lay groundwork for deeper reforms under Troika-supported programs.
Measures included an anti-tax-evasion plan, targeted programs to improve revenue collection from large taxpayers and wealthy individuals, and a medium‑term reform roadmap.
Early digital success: VAT filing compliance improved from 65 percent in 2010 to 96 percent by 2014.
Some initiatives to strengthen collection from large corporations, wealthy individuals, and tax debtors proved harder to sustain, highlighting limits where governance and political interference were not addressed.

2013–2017: Building durable institutions

Principle: tax administration reforms require autonomy, clear accountability, and strong leadership.
Actions:
- Consolidated tax office network, reducing local offices from 288 to 119 in just over a year beginning August 2012.
- Reorganized operations around functions rather than geography.
- Enacted a landmark 2016 law transferring responsibility for tax administration to a new, independent authority with its own budget and governance framework.
- Law required selection of the management board and governor through open competition with clearly defined criteria.
- Independent Authority for Public Revenue became operational in 2017, insulating tax administration from political interference and focusing on results.
Outcomes:
- Tax-to-GDP ratio rose by 1.8 percentage points, from 25.8 percent in 2013 to 27.6 percent in 2017.

2018–2025: Digital transformation

With governance and skills in place, Greece pursued decisive digitalization, accelerated in part by the pandemic.
Rolled out an integrated suite of digital systems between 2020 and 2025, including back‑office analytics, real‑time electronic invoicing, and point‑of‑sale connectivity.
Effects:
- Made compliance easier for taxpayers and improved auditors’ ability to identify risks and target enforcement.
- VAT revenues increased by 2.4 percentage points of GDP over 15 years, from 7.1 percent in 2010 to about 9.5 percent in 2025.

VAT filing compliance: 65 percent in 2010 → 96 percent by 2014.
VAT revenues: 7.1 percent of GDP in 2010 → about 9.5 percent in 2025 (increase of 2.4 percentage points of GDP over 15 years).
Tax-to-GDP ratio:
- 20.5 percent in 2009 → 28 percent in 2025.
- 25.8 percent in 2013 → 27.6 percent in 2017 (increase of 1.8 percentage points).
Primary surplus: nearly 5 percent of GDP in 2024-25.
Public debt-to-GDP ratio: fallen by about 65 percentage points from its 2020 peak.

Embed new ways of working into day‑to‑day processes to make recent gains durable.
Priorities highlighted:
- Use analytics and artificial intelligence more systematically to manage compliance risks.
- Further improve taxpayer services and trust.
- Ensure skills and staffing keep pace with rapid technological change.
Emphasized sequencing: build governance and institutional capacity first, then scale digital tools to ensure sustainability and effectiveness.

Core lessons:
- Governments cannot deliver fiscal reform goals unless taxation is fair, credible, and transparent.
- Building tax administration capabilities takes time and requires sequencing: stabilization → institution building → digital transformation.
- Sustained effort grounded in good governance, careful sequencing, and investment in people can convert crisis responses into lasting institutional strength.
Greece’s experience—while in some ways unique—offers widely applicable lessons for countries pursuing tax administration reform.

Source: IMF News — How Tax Administration Supported Greece’s Economic Recovery, May 14, 2026.