Europe's Flat Taxes for the Wealthy in 2026: Greece vs Italy

Greece taxes the foreign income of a qualifying newcomer at a flat €100,000 a year for up to 15 years, while Italy's equivalent regime costs €300,000 a year for people who become Italian tax residents on or after 1 January 2026 (IMI Daily, 5 February 2026). Both are fixed sums, so they favour very large foreign incomes; for smaller incomes they may cost more than ordinary tax. The details below come from one news analysis and law-firm summaries, so confirm them with a tax adviser in each country before you decide.

The two regimes side by side

	Greece (Article 5A)	Italy
Annual sum	€100,000 on all foreign-source income	€300,000 (2026 Budget Law, approved 30 December 2025)
Family	€20,000 a year per adult family member	€50,000 per family member (it was €25,000)
Duration	up to 15 years, fixed, no extension	15 years
Investment	at least €500,000 in Greek assets, per IMI Daily	none mentioned
Not resident before	seven of the previous eight years	nine of the previous ten years
Earlier arrivals	not applicable	pay the earlier sum: €100,000 before August 2024, €200,000 from August 2024 to December 2025

What to know about the Greek regime

• Foreign income only. Greek-source income is taxed normally.
• Investment condition. IMI Daily says at least €500,000 in Greek assets such as real estate, businesses, securities or shares of Greek companies. Another source says an existing Golden Visa can stand in for it. We could not confirm that point, so ask a lawyer how the two combine: the non-dom regime in detail.
• Family and inheritance. Included family members also get an exemption from Greek inheritance and gift tax on foreign assets. Law 5222/2025 fixed the period at 15 years with no extensions and allows relatives to be added later within that period.
• Not stated in the sources we read: whether the Greek investment must be kept for a set time, what happens if it is sold, and the age limits for children.

A third model: Switzerland

Switzerland taxes on spending rather than a fixed sum: the base is the highest of seven times annual rent, three times hotel costs or a federal minimum of CHF 434,700 (2025), and the minimum annual tax runs from about CHF 250,000 to CHF 1 million depending on the canton. Zurich and Basel abolished it in 2010 and 2012.

What a fixed sum does not do

• It does not make you a resident for free: you must really become a tax resident. See does the Golden Visa make you a tax resident.
• It does not remove tax in your home country: check the tax treaty.
• It does not replace a residence permit: see Greece or Cyprus, where the Cyprus 60-day rule works differently.

Sources: IMI Daily, "Lump-Sum Taxation: Countries Offering Fixed Tax Bills for the Wealthy" (5 February 2026); Regfollower on Law 5222/2025 (4 August 2025). Cyprus, Malta and Portugal regimes were not covered by these sources. We sell Greek property for the Golden Visa. Informational, not tax advice.