After 236 days of resistance from the opposition parties, the ruling coalition voted in Czech parliament’s lower chamber, new fiscal law named EET / Electronic Evidence of Taxes /, which regulates the cash sale of goods and services. Now it must be approved by the Senate and signed by the president of the Czech Republic. In the Senate, the ruling coalition has a majority and president Milos Zeman was in favor of this law from the beginning.
Opposition parties are not satisfied with the way it came to this decision, they will make its protest at the Constitutional court. “The law was violated as debate was stopped, many members could not come out and express themselves, ” opposition said at a press conference.
“Finally Approved! EET will reduce the gray economy, prevent tax evasion and encourage honest businessman, ” Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka wrote on his twitter account.
The Minister of Finance Andrej Babis is satisfied because his efforts finally rewarded. He was the leader of a group that supports this initiative and the law that individuals already called Balkan as it was based on the
Croatian model. Czech law also envisages, similar to Croatian, reduction on same taxes in restaurants.
“EET = cheaper beer” was the banner in Parliament.
Babis does not deny the similarity with the Croatian model but states that other European countries, Sweden for example, have implemented their EET.
Plan is to start with hotels and restaurants, totaling about 60,000 entrepreneurs, and probably already since November. A quarter later, revenues should register companies in the wholesale and retail trade, i.e. roughly 250,000 taxpayers.
