By Vangelis Dourakis

Professionals are ringing a “bell” for her own readiness AADEas well as of banksto “support” the adoption of the IRIS direct payment system. Only a few days left until November 1st when all businesses must accept payments either via POS or QR code. If they don’t do it by then they will be faced with “heavy bells”.

Any fines, in fact, are not limited to monetary ones, but depending on the type of activity, they can even reach the “lockout” or the revocation of a license! So everything shows that at the beginning of next month, all businesses will have to install the IRIS direct payment system.

Heavy fines of up to €20,000 for those who do not comply

Those who do not comply by the specified date face “hardships” fines: In those businesses, therefore, that have an obligation to accept payments through direct payment services from account to account, such as the service IRIS online payments and do not accept related payments at the Point of Sale, or through of interconnected POS terminalsthe following fines are imposed:

  • 10,000 euros, as long as it is an obligation to observe a simple accounting system.
  • 20,000 euros, since it is an obligation to observe a double-entry accounting system.

The fine is reduced by 50%, when it is imposed on businesses that carry out their activity in settlements with a population of up to 500 inhabitants and on islands with a population of less than 3,100 inhabitants.

To the companies that have submitted a declaration of compatibility of the mechanisms and have not completed, within the deadlines, the necessary actions and technical controls, in order to ensure the interconnection of the Commercial/Accounting Management Programs (Enterprise Resource Planning“ERP») that they have in the Greek territory, with F.H.I.M. or software of Electronic Invoicing Providers and types of terminals “EFT/POS» a fine of 10,000 euros is imposed.

It is also provided that sales documents, which are issued through F.H.M. or Electronic Invoicing Provider that interface with Commercial/Accounting Management Programs (ERP), which do not meet the interface requirements, are considered to have been issued by an unapproved F.H.I.M. or unlicensed Electronic Invoicing Provider and the corresponding fines are imposed.

Which companies lose their licenses

After all, the terminal must either be connected to a tax mechanism, or communicate directly with the information systems of the AADE. As characteristically underlined in the circular, any other method is no longer considered acceptable.

The relevant circular provides that businesses that have an obligation to use or use terminals “Electronic Funds Transfer at the Point of Sale (EFT/POS)”national or foreign providers, interconnect and provide the Tax Administration with information on the transactions carried out through them or through interconnection of the terminals with Fiscal Electronic Mechanisms (F.H.M.) or directly with the information systems of the Tax Administration.

At the same time, the sales and support companies of the fiscal mechanisms (F.H.M.) and do not proceed with the procedures for upgrading the F.H.M. or the electronic invoicing software and the connection with the terminals as the case may be “EFT/POS” of users or Payment Service Providers who provide direct payment services from account to account at the Point of Sale with the potential use of the national hub for automated processing of collection procedures (DIAS), within the deadlines provided for, the following sanctions are imposed, by decision of the Governor:

  • For entities that provide technical support services F.H.M. are recalled “technical support license” or the “licence of fitness” on the part of technical support, the status of the authorized technician of both the entity and the network of authorized technicians, as well as the ability to legally seal and sign the F.H.M. Maintenance Booklet. or submitting a definitive damage diagnosis statement for F.H.M. in the F.H.M. Information System,
  • For entities that provide installation and technical support services for Commercial/Accounting Management Programs (Enterprise Resource Planning, “ERP”), the software in question is consideredi illegal and entities using it are required to replace it with legitimate software “ERP” within the specified deadlines.