IS THE CHAOS OVER?

In recent days, news with the content "From June 1, entities providing hotel and catering services will be allowed to accept cash payments when selling alcoholic and tobacco products" has been actively discussed on social networks and Telegram channels related to entrepreneurship.

Many business representatives interpret this news as "freedom given to cash circulation," while others are skeptical about how true this news is.

What is the real essence of the case? What is actually provided for in regulatory legal documents? In this article, we will put all the pieces together.

Before the new regulation came into force, catering establishments (restaurants, cafes, bars) and hotels were required to obtain a separate permit (license) to sell alcoholic beverages. This process involved several bureaucratic stages and required additional time and expenses from entrepreneurs. Based on the new legislation, a fundamental shift has occurred in the sector:

License canceled

Now, entrepreneurs in the catering and hotel sectors are no longer required to obtain a separate permit to sell alcoholic beverages.

Notification procedure

Entrepreneurs can engage in this activity simply by notifying the relevant authorized bodies (by sending a notification).

The phrase "cash payments will be allowed" in the disseminated news should not mislead entrepreneurs. This is not about accepting cash without control. On the contrary, the state has set a requirement for full transparency of the payment system.

The main legal requirements are presented in the following table:

If a restaurant or hotel accepts cash from a customer but does not provide an online cash register receipt with a scanned barcode, this is considered a gross violation of the law and will result in significant fines.

Although the main reforms in the legislation (for example, the cancellation of licenses) came into force earlier, the full integration of tax authorities and technical infrastructure took some time.

The date of June 1 is related to the control of the execution of this system, ensuring the full transition of entrepreneurs to new online systems (barcode scanners and virtual cash registers), and the transition of the monitoring stage to a new level. The state gave entrepreneurs time to adapt to the system and complete technical equipment.

If you are the owner of a hotel, restaurant, or cafe business, and alcoholic and tobacco products are sold at your establishment, strictly follow these rules:

1 Check equipment: Ensure that 2D scanners and online cash registers are in working order at all points of sale.

2 Train staff: Strictly instruct waiters and cashiers to formalize every payment (whether cash or card) with a fiscal receipt and to scan the barcode.

3 Organize documents: Although the license has been canceled, double-check that you have notified the tax and authorized bodies about your activities in the prescribed manner.

There is a real law behind the disseminated news, but it is not "absolute freedom for cash sales," but rather "sales on a simplified system, but under strict digital control." The main goal of the reforms is to reduce the share of the shadow economy in the sector and create a bureaucracy-free environment for honest entrepreneurs.