Min. Finance: At 407,000 POS interfaces with cash registers and ERP systems

As announced by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, especially in the last 4 months, more than 150,000 additional connections were made, mainly related to the connection of POS with ERP systems, businesses that replaced the old cash register and/or POS systems with new, seasonal businesses, etc. Thus, the compliance rate of the obliged companies now exceeds a total of 96%.

It is noted that the milestone set by the Recovery Fund for the smooth financing of the country – which was 400,000 interconnections – was reached earlier than the deadline, while for those businesses that have not yet been interconnected, checks are being intensified starting with those with the highest turnovers.

As it is emphasized: “The completion of this great project is already yielding significant and measurable results in the effort to combat tax evasion. It is indicative that in the first half of the year VAT revenues increased by 10.3%, which is due on the one hand to the growth of the economy and on the other hand to the initiatives to deal with tax evasion such as the interconnection of POS with cash registers and ERP systems.

It is also characteristic that during the first 8 months of the year – and while the interconnection project was not fully completed – a significant increase in payments through the use of electronic means is observed.

In particular, it was observed:

• in focus an increase of 16% (from 4.8 billion to 5.5 billion euros),
• in taxis an increase of 177% (from 18 million to 50 million euros),
• to doctors by 20.1% (from 227 million to 273 million euros),
• in hair salons and personal care services by 13.8% (from 326 million to 371 million euros),
• in gyms and sports activities by 34.8% (from 56 million to 75 million euros),
• in hotels by 8.8% (from 3.6 billion euros to 3.9 billion euros).

This increase is due, on the one hand, to the development and, on the other hand, to the expansion of electronic means of payment, but also to the implementation of measures to deal with tax evasion, such as the interconnection of cash registers with POS, which ensures additional revenue for the state.

The Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis said: “We all remember the voices of those who said that the Government would not achieve what all other Governments failed to achieve. And yet we did it! The 407,000 POS interfaces with cash registers and ERP systems are a landmark reform in our effort to tackle tax evasion.

A reform that is already producing positive results. They contributed – together with the growth – to the increase in VAT revenue by 10.3% in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. There is also a significant increase in electronic payments in a number of industries such as catering, hotels, taxis, doctors and elsewhere, which ensures more revenue for the state and reduces tax evasion.

This work is the work of all of us. And above all the hundreds of thousands of professionals who connected their systems in time. Therefore, I would like to thank them as well as the hundreds of technicians, providers, employees and executives of AADE and the Ministry of National Economy and Finance who contributed decisively to the completion of this complex project.”

What remains to be done

It remains for 4% of the obliged enterprises to interconnect their systems. Of this percentage, 2,000 cases have been recorded in which there is a technical issue of mismatch between POS and their ERP accounting systems. For these cases, a margin of a few weeks has been given in order to find a technical solution or for the companies to replace their equipment. The specific businesses have already received personalized information from AADE and the relevant services are in contact with them.

Controls are intensified by businesses with large turnovers

For the rest of the businesses, the checks by the levels of the AADE are to be intensified in the coming days. It is noted that priority during the audits is given to companies with the largest turnovers. Businesses found not to have interconnected their systems face fines.

Specifically, a fine is provided for:

• 10,000 euros, as long as they follow a simple accounting system
• 20,000 euros, as long as they follow a double-entry bookkeeping system.

These fines are halved for businesses established in settlements with a population of up to 500 inhabitants and on islands with a population of up to 3,100 inhabitants (excluding tourist). In case of recurrence within five years, the fines are doubled and for each subsequent same violation they are tripled.

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