Tax officers fined a cobbler with heavy 250 euros for having received a tip of 1 euro. The incident took place in Livadia, Viotia, and the craftsman appealed the fine. He was vindicated.
The Tax officers had targeted the cobbler in order to check whether he was committing tax evasion.
They stood outside the man’s shop when a customer exited holding a pair of shoes. They asked him whether he had a receipt. The customer said, he did not have any.
The tax officers entered the shop and saw one euro on the counter.
The immediately imposed a fine of 250 euros for alleged tax evasion.
The cobbler appealed to the Second Instance Committee for Dispute Resolution.
He argued that he did not do any shoe repair but he had just glued the heel of the customer’s show and that he did not charge anything for this tiny work.
In order to thank him, the customer left the euro on the counter as a tip.
The Committee accepted the cobbler’s arguments and wrote the fine off.
The one Euro tipo is probably worth more than most tax officers. If Jesus were alive today he would expel them with a whip.