Anger Management Seminars for Tax Office Employees

Harry Theocharis, General Secretary of Public Revenue and head of tax offices across Greece, inspired by the films “Anger Management” and “Analyze this,” organized seminars that will help employees in tax offices deal with the anger and the outbursts of tax payers. The seminars which began February 25 and will last until March 14, give the employees in tax offices some good advice on how to deal with aggravated voices and a possible use of force against them. The measure is considered necessary as the violent incidents in tax offices have increased. According to the circular sent by Theocharis, the seminars will be conducted during evening hours by economic inspectors who supervise the tax offices. The employees are advised to be courteous, patient and sufficiently illustrative when conversing with taxpayers. They should provide detailed information on each case they handle and show understanding as most of the time, they are dealing with desperate people who have often reached their limits. Moreover, they learn to create a feeling of solidarity between them and the tax payers. Employees in tax offices are asked not to respond provokingly or comment no matter what the taxpayers say. They are also learning to develop fast reflexes when a situation gets out of control. Officials of the Greek Finance Ministry admit that these anger management seminars are not intended only to appease tax payers but also the employees who are fed up with the constant changes in the tax system and the conflicting settings for the handling of tax cases.

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