An tax on bank cash payments above 200 euros and the introduction of digital receipts and invoices between private individuals since 2017. These are the two main measures that the Council of Ministers will examine on 20 February to combat tax evasion by increasing the traceability of payments.
In detail, the first intervention should be achieved through a stamp proportional to the amount of the payment that some categories, such as merchants, make daily in the bank. The novelty aims to encourage the use of electronic money and will benefit not only the State, but also institutions, which will see profits deriving from electronic credit operations grow and will cut costs for managing cash.
The second measure, on the other hand, aims to make the traditional paper receipt disappear and will entail (in two years) the obligation for all merchants and artisans to memorize the daily fees and send them electronically to the tax authorities, who will be able to verify the taxpayer's tax position in every moment. The electronic transmission of receipts and invoices will be possible not only with the new cash registers, but also via tablets and smartphones.
The government is also thinking of strengthening the use of POS for payments by debit card and credit or debit card, for example by introducing tax relief in the form of a tax credit for those who decide to modernize their payment systems. Actually, by now the obligation has been in force since 30 June to accept payments exceeding 30 euros also through the various forms of electronic money, but the rule has been largely ignored, since the law does not provide for penalties for those who do not comply with it.
As for specifically the professionals, will have to electronically transmit to the tax authorities the data relating not only to the invoices issued, but also to the corrective ones and those received. They will also be required to maintain in their accounts data on financial transactions of amounts equal to or greater than one thousand euros with non-resident subjects. Finally, electronic invoices will be provided for professionals, which will make it possible to cross-reference the data with the information already available to the tax authorities through the Tax Registry and the Current Account Registry.
