Bakers criticize planned mandatory receipt requirement

The bakery trade criticizes the draft bill introducing mandatory cash registers. Instead of implementing the promised abolition of the receipt requirement, the paper receipt is to be replaced by a mandatory digital receipt. This, they argue, is not a relief, but rather additional bureaucracy.

This article is part of the special topic "Cash register management: What do businesses need to pay attention to?"

The Federal Ministry of Finance has presented a draft bill for the introduction of mandatory cash registers. The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts criticizes the plans and warns of additional bureaucratic burdens for businesses. The German Bakers' Confederation is also calling for a revision of the planned measures. It is particularly important, they argue, to implement the abolition of mandatory receipts, as promised in the coalition agreement. The draft legislation now stipulates that paper receipts will be replaced by mandatory digital receipts.

The bakers' association argues that this is not a relief. On the contrary, it threatens to increase bureaucracy at the expense of businesses, causing enormous costs. "Even a requirement to provide digital receipts remains a receipt requirement. Anyone who still has to provide a receipt for every bread roll purchase isn't eliminating bureaucracy, but merely shifting it from paper to digital. The federal government must fulfill its promise from the coalition agreement: receipts should only be issued at the customer's explicit request – either digitally or on paper, at the businesses' discretion," explains Roland Ermer, President of the bakers' association.

Bakers warn of additional burdens

Draft Law: Read more about the draft law and the ZDH's criticism here . It is incomprehensible why a receipt requirement should continue. Most artisan bakeries already use electronic cash register systems protected by certified technical security devices. These systems record business transactions in a tamper-proof manner. The baking trade supports the goal of effectively combating tax evasion and ensuring fair competition. However, this goal cannot be achieved by requiring a digital receipt for every small sale.

The mandatory digital receipt requirement will increase the burden on businesses: they will have to upgrade their point-of-sale systems, incurring additional costs for software, licenses, storage, and organizational effort. "If this comes to pass, it will also affect small businesses and force them to make significant investments. This comes at a time when they are already struggling with uncertainty, rising costs, staff shortages, consumer reluctance, and hybrid threats," says Managing Director Dr. Friedemann Berg. He calls for "at least a transitional arrangement" that grants businesses time for the upgrades and allows for special depreciation allowances for technical investments.

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The obligation to issue receipts will not be abolished.

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Furthermore, there must continue to be practical exceptions to the receipt requirement for mobile sales vehicles, weekly market stalls, and sales at public festivals. The association therefore welcomes the proposed exceptions but warns against defining their specific details only after the law has been passed. Businesses need clear rules and legal certainty before the law comes into effect. Ermer: "The draft law places an additional burden on small and medium-sized enterprises and weakens their resilience. The federal government promised to abolish the receipt requirement in the coalition agreement. The draft law must be amended accordingly so that the general receipt requirement for counter sales is eliminated." 

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