Greece: Sales Tax - reminder
Following the publication of Greece: Sales Tax on the Clearstream website, Clearstream Banking1 would like to remind its customers that since
12 April 2021
customers are responsible for reporting the following transactions for Greek Sales Tax purposes to Clearstream Banking:
- Free of payment deliveries (FOPs) settled in Clearstream Banking’s books;
- Free of and against payment deliveries settled within the customer’s books;
- Any transfers outside customers books of which the customer has knowledge. Customers must ensure appropriate arrangements with their underlying clients and throughout the custody chain for the purposes of fulfilling the compliance with this reporting requirement.
Customers will find the declaration file, to be filled in and converted to a .csv file to submit sales tax declarations to Clearstream Banking, in the above-mentioned announcement.
Clearstream Banking will send the declaration files received from customers files to Citibank Athens for further reporting to AthexCSD and the Greek tax authorities.
Customers will find further information on the reporting process as well as the deadline for submitting their declaration files in the above-mentioned website page.
Exemption
Several exemptions from the Greek sales tax have been inserted in various legislative texts in accordance with Greek law. These exemptions are provided in the above-mentioned website page, but for information purposes only. It is the responsibility of the customer to determine eligibility for exemption as relevant.
The reporting obligation also applies for exempted transactions. Customers, when reporting a sales transaction eligible for sales tax exemption, shall indicate the reason for the exemption in the mandatory field "Exemption reason" of the declaration file.
Clearstream Banking recommends that customers refer to the "Field Definitions and Formats" Excel sheet of the declaration file for further information on how to fill it in.
Retention and disclosure of documentary evidence
Documentary evidence of details of all transactions and, where applicable, proof of exemption must be retained by the customers and must be submitted upon request from Clearstream Banking or Greek Tax Authorities. By holding Greek securities in an account with Clearstream Banking, customers will be deemed to appoint Clearstream Banking and Clearstream Banking's depository for Greek securities as their attorneys-in-fact for the purpose of providing the information to the Greek Tax authorities, if requested by the latter.
Disclaimer
This announcement is provided for information purposes only and does not aim to give any professional (legal, tax or otherwise) advice and should not be relied upon as such.
Clearstream Banking strongly recommends that customers independently assess whether and how their business is impacted by the Greek Sales Tax before taking any action based on or raising from the information included in this page and shall in no event be expected to any liability for the consequences arising, whether directly or indirectly, out of such actions.
Further information
For further information, customers may contact Clearstream Banking Client Services or their Relationship Officer.
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1. Clearstream Banking refers collectively to Clearstream Banking S.A., registered office at 42, avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg, and registered with the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register under number B-9248, and Clearstream Banking AG (for Clearstream Banking AG customers using Creation Accounts), registered office at 61, Mergenthalerallee, 65760 Eschborn, Germany, and registered in Register B of the Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under number HRB 7500.