Beyond Compliance: Leveraging Tax Policy for Growth, Fairness, and Sustainable Transformation
By Alexandra Loli, PhD | Business Partners Nov-Dec, 2025

In a world where global tax policy is rapidly evolving as a result of geopolitical instability, increasingly complex regulations, and accelerating digital transformation, businesses must modernize their tax functions in order to remain compliant, mitigate risks, and optimize outcomes. Enhancing data capabilities and reassessing supply chains are key steps toward building a resilient and future-ready tax strategy.

The new tax Law 5162/2024 on corporate transformations marks a pivotal moment for business reinvention, serving as both a catalyst and a guide for change. More than fiscal tools, these measures are strategic enablers designed to accelerate sustainable growth, promote ESG integration, and reward responsible innovation. Yet, as companies embrace these opportunities, they must navigate a complex landscape of anti–tax avoidance rules, ensuring that transformation strategies remain compliant, transparent, and value-driven. True leadership lies in aligning purpose with policy, leveraging tax incentives responsibly to generate lasting impact.

Technology and globalization are revolutionizing the tax function, enabling real-time data analysis, enhanced compliance, and smarter strategic decisionmaking. As the profession evolves and the role of tax departments is being reshaped, embracing these changes empowers tax professionals to effectively navigate complexities, boost efficiency, and deliver greater value in a rapidly changing global landscape.

The preliminary reference mechanism under Article 267 TFEU is a constitutional cornerstone of the EU’s legal order, ensuring uniform interpretation and effective judicial protection. Yet Greece, despite its exceptionally high volume of litigation, remains among the Member States with the fewest preliminary references, particularly in the sensitive areas of tax and customs law. This persistent reluctance may not only raise concerns about proper application but could also amount to a breach of both EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

In the face of current uncertainties, the choices we make today will shape the economic and social landscape for years to come. Pragmatic policies can foster innovation, attract investment, and drive inclusive growth, while simultaneously addressing critical social challenges. Thoughtful taxation and regulation are key to balancing competitiveness with social responsibility and to advancing broader public health and societal goals.

A shift away from rigid procedural formalism in administrative jurisprudence is essential to uphold the right to a fair trial. Emphasizing substantive justice over procedural technicalities ensures that legal processes serve their fundamental purpose: the effective protection of individual rights. This approach aligns national administrative practices with broader human rights standards, fostering a more equitable and accessible justice system.

As financial landscapes shift and disruption becomes the norm, the role of CFOs is becoming increasingly vital. Beyond traditional financial oversight and managing performance, CFOs now drive strategy, foster innovation, and build organizational resilience. The role of finance divisions within Greek companies is evolving with new priorities, opportunities, and hurdles that must be navigated. The next frontier: turning technology into a powerful engine for strategic impact and growth.

Sustainability begins with responsibility, and tax plays a pivotal role in advancing this principle. A well-designed and responsible tax strategy goes beyond compliance, ensuring transparency, fairness, and longterm value creation. By embedding tax considerations within the broader ESG framework, organizations can strengthen stakeholder trust, align financial practices with societal expectations, and drive sustainable growth in a business environment in which accountability and purpose matter more than ever.

The digitalization of the tax system, in partnership with businesses—as exemplified by MyData—strengthens relations between taxpayers and the state and helps curb tax evasion. In contrast, outsourcing business financial data to private entities instead of investing in building the necessary public infrastructure (such as B2B e-invoicing) undermines modern principles of governance and proves ineffective in combating tax evasion.

Outsourcing accounting, tax, and reporting functions is a strategic decision that extends beyond operational convenience. By entrusting these critical and complex functions to specialized professionals, companies gain security, accuracy, and regulatory compliance, allowing leadership to focus on core business activities, strategic growth, and value creation. This approach not only mitigates risk but also leverages external expertise to enhance decisionmaking and organizational efficiency.

The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR) remains firmly committed to a people-centered digital transition, in which technology serves as a catalyst for greater fairness, transparency, and accountability. Achieving the right balance between justice and performance is essential for a tax administration that is committed to being efficient, trustworthy, and truly inclusive.

Quality accounting, tax, and advisory services play a critical role in supporting the sustainable growth of businesses and organizations. Dedicated firms offer experience and expertise and can provide reliable, tailored solutions to businesses and organizations across diverse sectors, from industry and shipping to real estate and investments, ensuring regulatory compliance whilst also enabling informed decisionmaking and longterm value creation.

As focus shifts, at least in part, from combating international tax avoidance and climate change to boosting competitiveness and addressing fiscal pressures in major economies—and indeed against a background of heightened geopolitical instability—one thing remains certain: The future will demand reliable data collection and a continuous feedback loop to support an ever-evolving business strategy.

Reforming the customs framework transforms how businesses interact with trade regulations, fostering greater compliance and operational efficiency. A modernized system supports competitiveness and ensures coherence with the European Union’s trade and environmental objectives, reflecting the strategic role of customs in sustainable economic development.