POS situation needs extension
Interconnection problems are leading to the postponement of the deadline for compliance
The Finance Ministry and the tax administration (AADE) are focusing on the extension of the deadline for the interconnection of cash registers with card terminals (POS), with the aim that upon full operation of the new process of issuing receipts – for payment by cards – everything will work perfectly without technical problems.
According to information, 250,000-300,000 POS have not yet been upgraded, a development that does not allow them to interface with cash registers. So it is being considered either to postpone the start of interconnection or of the fines. It is possible that a final extension of one month will be given – i.e. until the end of March. The final decisions will be taken on Thursday, when a relevant announcement is expected from both the ministry and AADE.
As reported by the market, the problems that do not allow interconnection from March 1 are related to the following: There are not enough technicians to upgrade all POS; several POS, which according to the providers have been upgraded, do not interface with the cash registers; and in some cases, POS and cash register incompatibility problems are recorded. As reported by companies operating in the rest of the country, they are still waiting for the technicians from Athens in order to make the necessary upgrades.
The above issues that concern the market may lead to the extension. However, ministry officials note that every time an extension is granted, the speed of reform drops, delaying the procedures. That is observed every time the ministry or AADE announce an extension. For example, when an extension is announced for tax returns, the next day the rate of filing them drops drastically.
All the above will be weighed by the ministry and AADE and the final decisions are expected within the day. However, the meetings are daily, while even today problems are arising, for which attempts are being made to resolve them. Of course, there are also businesses that sell cash registers and software, as well as POS, which continue to struggle.
