Receipts and receipts: from 2020 everything changes

From 2020 January 400, Italy says goodbye to receipts and tax receipts. With the new year, the revolution that began in July only for the largest establishments (those with a turnover exceeding XNUMX euros) is being extended to all.

WHAT CHANGES FOR CUSTOMERS?

After the purchases of goods or services, customers (whether they are consumers or VAT numbers) will continue to receive a piece of paper from the shopkeepers, which however will no longer have a tax value. It will not be called a receipt or receipt, but a "commercial document" and will be valid as a purchase document for exercising warranty rights. It can be of three types: sale or service, return of goods or cancellation.

Attention: buyers can ask to add their tax code or VAT number to the document, which at that point will also have a tax value and can be used for income tax deductions or deductions in the tax return.

In summary, commercial documents will replace receipts and receipts, but not invoices, for which the obligation to issue them at the customer's request remains.

WHAT IS CHANGING FOR MERCHANTS?

As for shopkeepers, with the revolution of the electronic receipt they will have to record and transmit the data relating to each sale to the Revenue Agency (as is already the case with electronic invoices). To do so, they will have to choose one of the following tools:

• Telematic recorder

It is the simplest solution to comply with the new legislation. It is a device that stores transaction data and automatically sends it to the Revenue Agency. Once purchased, the recorder must be registered and activated (ie combined with the VAT number of the user) before being put into service.

• RT telematics server

This path is only advisable for the largest and most structured realities. The possibility of using a server, in fact, is granted only to shops with at least three tills and only if the financial statements are certified by an auditor.

• web procedure

It is made available free of charge by the Revenue Agency on the «Invoices and fees» and can also be used from mobile devices. Very useful for those who issue few documents or for those who work on an itinerant basis. It can also be used in combination with one of the first two tools.

• Health insurance card

Those who sell medicines will be able to use the same tools and channels already used for sending data to the Healthcare Card system.

BONUS: A TAX CREDIT FOR TELEMATIC RECORDERS

It is therefore clear that the current cash registers will have to be progressively replaced or integrated, if technically possible, to allow the memorization and transmission of daily data. On this front there is good news: operators will be granted a tax credit equal to 50% of the expenditure incurred for the purchase of the electronic recorder (up to a maximum of 250 euros) or for the adaptation of the current recorders cash (no more than 50 euros). The bonus will be usable in compensation from the first periodic VAT payment following the month in which the invoice was registered.

SOFT START AND SCHEDULED TIMES

As already foreseen from July to December for large exhibitors, small ones will also benefit from a six-month moratorium. It means that from 30 January to 2020 June 12, new subjects required to electronically transmit the fees will not be sanctioned if they fulfill the obligation within the month following that of the transaction. Once this simplified initial phase has been completed, from July XNUMXst the penalties will be triggered in case of failure to send by the XNUMXth day after the date of the operation.

HOW MUCH SANCTIONS AMOUNT?

For data not stored or transmitted, or transmitted in an incomplete or false form, the penalty is equal to 100% of the VAT on the undocumented amount.

In the event of a breakdown in the data transmission device, if the operator does not request repairs immediately by reporting the breakdown to the Revenue Agency, he will be punished with an administrative fine ranging from 250 to 2 thousand euros.

Finally, if in 5 years four violations are committed on different days, the ancillary sanction is also triggered, i.e. the suspension of the license or authorization to exercise the activity.