Taxpayers who pay cash will be able to build their tax-free income if they scan the paper receipts and forward them electronically to the Independent Public Revenues authorities AADE. this was revealed by Deputy Finance Minister Thodoros Skylakakis to ANT1 TV on Monday morning.
The plan is being prepared to be implemented in 2021 and will not apply retroactively for purchases in 2020. The new electronic platform will be connected to the Taxisnet and will facilitate the uploading of scanned paper receipts.
.According to media information, the uploading of scanned paper receipts will be possible via smartphone or tablet or via an application downloaded from Google Play or Apple Store. The taxpayer will scan the QR Code of the receipt.
The plan will replace “the bags of paper receipts” sent to the tax office.
The scanned receipts will also take part in the monthly tax office lottery where taxpayers can win 1,000 euros.
Citing Finance Ministry sources, media reported that the new system will combat tax evasion carried out with “illegal cash register software.” The automatic check of the QR Code will verify the authenticity of the receipt.
In the last ten years and following ‘reforms’ prescribed by Greece’s lenders during the bailout agreements, only elderly could make purchases with cash, collect paper receipts and thus subtract a good amount from their income to be taxed.
The other age categories had to make purchases with e-payments (cards etc) totaling 30% of their taxed income to receive a tax-free amount.
However, the new “smart’ plan discriminates those who are not tech savvy or not in possession of smartphones and tablets.
PS May the ministers of Finance and Digital Governance working out this plan leave in another planet….
I don’t have a mobile phone or a tablet or a scanner – just my laptop — so where do I figure in all this mayhem?
Simply make all purchases using a debit/credit card then you can forget all about receipts. Your bank automatically informs the tax office of how much you have spent electronically. No action needed.
I guess getting rid of this particular nonsense is out of the question if you can attack it with technology that probably won’t work and that the people who might need to use it are not in possession of or incapable of using