The Independent Authority for Public Revenue received two major awards at the Annual Conference of the Institute of Internal Auditors Greece (IIA Greece), confirming its sustained investment in strengthening internal audit, transparency and good governance, according to the relevant announcement.
In particular, the Institute presented an honorary award to AADE Governor George Pitsilis, recognising his contribution and continued support for fostering a strong internal audit culture.
On receiving the award, Mr Pitsilis dedicated it to the people of the Authority, saying: “This award is not personal. Internal audit and risk management are the two pillars of prevention in our organisation. Our philosophy is based on prevention, foresight and making strategic decisions based on data”.
The AADE Internal Audit Directorate also received significant recognition, becoming the first unit in the Greek public sector to successfully complete an external assessment of its effectiveness and compliance with the IIA’s international internal audit standards.
On receiving the certificate with his team, AADE Internal Audit Director P. Kokotas said that opting for an external assessment under the strictest international framework had been a strategic decision. The aim, he said, was for AADE to continue to serve as a model of sound management, transparency and accountability.
At the conference, the AADE Governor also took part in a panel entitled “Lights on, let's Go! From Warning Signals to Strategic Decisions!”, where he outlined how the Authority’s organisational and digital transformation is changing the way tax audits are conducted, shifting the emphasis from enforcement to prevention.
As a case in point, he cited myDATA, explaining how the use of digital data strengthens tax compliance and helps identify violations at an early stage.
“Before we moved to myDATA, I felt we were trying to collect water with a sieve. myDATA works preventively: it makes tax compliance the default and tax evasion the exception that stands out”, he said.
In closing, Mr Pitsilis said AADE develops and adjusts its plans through ongoing communication and dialogue with businesses and accountants. He also identified cybersecurity as one of the biggest challenges of the modern era, noting that in any crisis, the most difficult thing is that from the outset, the true scale and consequences are not always known.