Over 33 years ago, Poland introduced the requirement to use cash registers, including in retail trade. This came with the enactment of the Act on the Tax on Goods and Services and the Excise Tax Act. After more than three decades, a epochal change may occur, which, although it will not exempt entrepreneurs from using cash registers, will give them new possibilities that will allow them to run a business without having to buy a cash register. How? The Ministry of Finance has a solution for that.
Cash register on a smartphone
A cash register for an entrepreneur can cost from a few hundred to several thousand zlotys. Everything depends on its technical sophistication. All these devices must perform the basic task of accurately recording turnover and the VAT amount on retail sales. For many years, cash registers were only physical devices associated with shop counters. In 2019, online cash registers were introduced, which were a step toward the future. Now this march toward technological solutions is set to take on a completely new meaning. All thanks to an application that the Ministry of Finance wants to introduce. With it, an entrepreneur will not have to buy a traditional cash register. The application will replace all its functions, including issuing receipts, although it will not involve printing a document, but issuing a receipt in electronic form, which will be sent to the customer. At this moment there is no information on whether the invoice will be sent by email or whether the customer will also need an app to receive it. For now, the only information from the ministry is that such an option will be available.
Facilitations for entrepreneurs
Introducing an application that functions as a cash register is an option many entrepreneurs have been waiting for a long time. Note the word “option.” The application being prepared by the finance ministry will not replace traditional cash registers, which can still be used, but will only be an additional option for those who do not want to spend money on a stationary device. Importantly, the application will be free of charge, as will its use.
The minister of finance and economy Andrzej Domański presented information about the introduction of the application during the presentation of the deregulation package 2.0.
“It should be simpler and safer. Certain tax interpretations. Secondly, the extension of silent consent. Thirdly, clear, readable procedures for contacting the administration. And fourthly, perhaps the most important: using this huge digital revolution that we all observe to make it easier for taxpayers to run their business,” announced Andrzej Domański.
The head of the finance ministry highlighted the application for entrepreneurs to issue receipts, emphasizing that it is an option that simplifies business operations, which the government “agreed” with entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurs will receive a free application to issue receipts, and customers will have the option to receive an e-receipt instead of a paper receipt. This is convenience for citizens, and for entrepreneurs, simplification and savings. Instead of the requirement to have a physical cash register, a simple free app on any mobile device is enough. The free app will reduce paperwork, but also reduce additional business costs. We do not in any way limit the use of traditional cash registers or virtual online cash registers,” the minister of finance and economy informed.
According to Andrzej Domański’s announcements, the application is expected to be available to entrepreneurs in 2027.
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