The federal government wants to abolish receipt requirements and require digital cash registers

Berlin. The federal government wants to abolish the receipt requirement and require more electronic cash registers. On Wednesday, the cabinet approved a bill from the Ministry of Finance, as it announced in Berlin. Paper receipts are to be replaced by digital alternatives from 2028.

"This means less bureaucracy for everyone - both for citizens and for companies," said Finance Minister and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil. With digital cash registers, all sales would be recorded. "In this way we prevent tax evasion and create fair competitive conditions. I want the honest ones not to be the stupid ones."

The measures implement projects from the coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD, as well as plans from the action plan to combat tax and financial crime. Modern cash register systems are already widely used in retail. However, there are still around 115,000 so-called open cash registers. According to the Ministry of Finance, their sales are vulnerable to misuse because there are no or only handwritten records.

The draft law stipulates that open cash registers for companies with an annual turnover of more than 100,000 euros must be replaced by electronic systems from 2028. Taxpayers who have cash sales worth less than 12,000 euros per year are exempt from this. Further exceptions are to be regulated by regulation after the law has been passed. This is conceivable, for example, in agriculture, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The digital association Bitkom emphasized that the law means less paper for consumers. “Receipts are easier to store and find.” For many companies, however, the changeover initially entails an effort. "It must be clearly regulated who exactly the compulsory health insurance applies to and which technical requirements must be met."

Instead of a patchwork quilt, uniform technical specifications are needed so that the systems work together seamlessly. In a recent Bitkom survey, 84 percent of those surveyed were in favor of all businesses being required by law to offer at least one electronic payment option in addition to cash.