Greece to Make POS Machines Mandatory in Taxis, Delivery Services

The Greek National Economy and Finance Ministry and tax authorities announced recently that POS machines (point-of-sale terminals) will soon become mandatory in taxis, delivery services providers and other professions in efforts to tackle tax evasion.

The goal, said the ministry, is to limit the use of cash as much as possible, encourage card use and ensure that all professionals offering services can accept card payments.

Among others, the ministry said that as of 2024 all social subsidies will be deposited directly to cards. New or continuing government subsidies budgeted at more than 6 billion euros and payment method will be announced in the coming weeks. Additionally, the government hopes to make incentives attractive enough so that consumers prefer to pay with card which is traceable thus helping reduce cases of tax fraud.

At the same time, the ministry will extend via a ministerial decision the obligatory use of POS machines to all professions, including taxi services, kiosks, parking spaces, gyms, open-air food markets (laiki), coffee shops (kafeneia) in Greek villages, and cinemas as well as a new directive for independent professionals.

Photo source: Free Stock photos by Vecteezy.

The ministry is also examining the possibility of offering a monetary reward for users who uncover tax evasion cases via their mobile phone through the “Appodixi” app – the continuation of the “Apodixi Please” (Receipt Please) campaign.

The issue was discussed during a meeting with bank officials at the ministry who were asked to support the effort. The new set of regulations will be included in a second ministry bill to be submitted to parliament in the fall.

According to the ministry, businesses and professionals will have a grace period to fully integrate POS systems into their businesses. Fines for violations can reach up to 1,500 euros.