Summary Cash register was not even connected to the central tax service: TVXS
ATHENS (AFP) - Greece s culture ministry on Friday said a probe had been ordered into claims that the museum of Knossos, one of the country s top archaeological sites, was engaged in systematic tax evasion.
"We are awaiting the report of the tax authorities so we can immediately launch a procedure of disciplinary sanctions," junior minister for culture Nikos Xydakis said in a statement.
News and opinion website TVXS on Friday reported that staff at Knossos, the Bronze Age Minoan palace on the island of Crete that is one of Greece s top tourist draws, had failed to issue a single receipt to customers at the museum store on Wednesday.
When finance ministry inspectors raided the premises following complaints by tourists, they found that the cash register was not even connected to the central tax service, TVXS said.
The inspectors found 534 tax violations in just one day, the news site said. It was unclear how long the situation had been going on at the museum.
Xydakis said there would be "zero tolerance for civil servants who fail to defend the public interest."
The culture and finance ministries declined to comment further on the matter.
Greece has for years struggled to enforce tax compliance, an issue repeatedly highlighted by the nation s EU-IMF creditors.
