Another edition of the “Take Your Receipt” campaign, organized by the Ministry of Finance, has begun. During the holiday season, employees of tax offices and tax inspection offices will check that sales are properly recorded on cash registers and remind people of the obligation to issue receipts for every transaction. The campaign is promoted by a drawing by Andrzej Mleczko, one of Poland's most distinguished cartoonists, who has been associated with the weekly “Polityka” for years.
The initiative, conducted in cooperation with, among others, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and the regional trade inspection authorities, is intended to remind people that receiving a receipt in a shop, bar or restaurant is very important for the customer. A receipt not only makes it easier to assert one's rights (for example, when making a complaint about a defective product or service), but also to compare prices at different retailers and monitor one's own spending. The campaign also aims to make businesses aware of the need to issue receipts reliably.
“By asking for a receipt, we also create conditions for fair competition and eliminate the shadow economy from the market. It shows exactly how much tax will be paid into the budget, and higher revenues mean more money to support public services, such as the police and health care,” explains Deputy Minister of Finance and General Inspector of Tax Inspection Andrzej Parafianowicz.
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection reminds us that we must receive proof of purchase regardless of where the product is sold. This applies not only to purchases at a market stall, a souvenir stand or online. A receipt should also be issued when we buy a bus ticket, a cinema ticket or a ticket to a match. It is also worth remembering that, under the law, proof of a concluded transaction—besides a receipt—may include a card-payment confirmation, a bank statement, a VAT invoice, or even statements from people who accompanied us (more about making a complaint without a receipt and its significance in unusual situations can be found on the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection website).
If a seller has not given us a receipt, we should report it to the tax office or tax inspection office. In cases involving problems with purchases or a rejected complaint, we can receive free assistance from municipal or county consumer ombudsmen. Legal advice is also available by calling the free consumer helpline at 800 007 707.
The campaign has been run by the finance ministry since 2004. Last year, tax inspectors issued approximately 13,000 fines totaling PLN 3.2 million. “The ‘Take Your Receipt’ campaign is not about punishing businesses, but about ensuring that they honestly record sales on cash registers and follow the principles of fair play toward customers and other traders,” Minister Parafianowicz reminds us.
The campaign will be supported by county and municipal consumer ombudsmen, the Consumers' Federation and the Polish Consumers' Association, as well as local governments and some businesses.
It sometimes happens that in some restaurants we pay for the cloakroom but still do not receive a receipt.
(information: Bolesławiec Tax Office/ii)