Accounting in Greece and the value of responsibility
In the age of globalisation, it is natural to compare experiences: How much does someone pay their accountant in Germany? How quickly is a company established in the Netherlands? How simple is VAT filing in the United Kingdom? How “friendly” do the tax authorities operate in the USA or Switzerland?
All these are interesting questions. But the essence lies elsewhere: accounting is not merely a service. It is an institution. And that institution differs radically from country to country.
In some countries, accounting is formal. In Greece, it is critical.
In Germany, many returns are filed through automated platforms. In the Netherlands, companies handle most things via an account in Digipoort. In the United Kingdom, a freelancer can file their tax return themselves in a few clicks. In the United States, systems work with the standard deduction and software such as TurboTax. In Switzerland, stability and institutional maturity make almost everything… silent.
In Greece, however, things are different.
The tax and accounting daily routine is lively, complex, constantly changing. The accountant in Greece is not a platform administrator. They are the person who signs, bears responsibility, and is often audited together with the entrepreneur.
The accountant is not a cost. They are a breastplate.
At AFS we know this first-hand. Every return, every form, every action we undertake for a client is accompanied by the responsibility of signature and — often — by the authorities’ audit. The accountant in Greece is the first to be blamed for a failure. And the last to leave when the business faces a problem.
They are not a “service provider”. They are a participant in the journey, a fellow traveller and jointly responsible.
The comparison is only of value when it is complete
When we say «in Germany I pay 19 euros a month for an accountant», it is good to remember what we are paying for — and what we are not asking for. We are not asking for a signature. We are not asking for defence in an audit. We are not asking for involvement in subsidised projects, in technical offices, in contracting works, in myDATA or in AADE which changes its interpretation every six months.
When we ask for all of these, we are now talking about another role, another responsibility, another framework.
We grow together – not because we make concessions, but because we stand firm
AFS supports dozens of businesses that began as small ideas and today are healthy, profitable and outward-looking. We did not approach them with introductory vouchers. We embraced them with strategy, responsibility and availability.
If your business needs a partner who stands by you from the very beginning — not only so that “the returns go through”, but so that your next step is built steadily — then we are here.
Not as external accountants. But as accountants of substance.
AFS # mazimegalonoume – with responsibility.
Elina Karamanou CEO | Co-Founder | Business Consultant at AFS
