The National Revenue Agency has begun intensified inspections of commercial establishments along the Black Sea coast. In the first week of the summer control campaign alone, 330 inspections were carried out and about 100 violations were identified, bTV reported.
The inspectors are inspecting restaurants, pavilions, stalls, attractions, as well as commercial activities related to umbrellas and sun loungers on the beaches.
“We are inspecting everything where commercial activities are carried out“, explained Anna Mitova, Director of “Communications“ in the revenue agency.
According to her, the most common violations are the failure to issue a cash receipt and the differences between the funds available in the cash register and the amounts marked in the fiscal device.
Among the more striking cases are two retail outlets in which there was no fiscal device at all. These are stalls that have already been sealed.
„For us, it is already a surprise to come across a merchant who is trying to work without a cash register. This is absolutely prohibited by law, and the sanctions are serious“, said Mitova.
For some violations, the fines can reach 5,000 euros. If the sanctions are not paid voluntarily, enforcement may be pursued, including the seizure of bank accounts and property.
Since the beginning of the year, the revenue agency has carried out over 20,000 inspections related to the rules surrounding the introduction of the euro.
According to Mitova, violations of double price marking are now significantly fewer than at the beginning of the year.
However, inspectors continue to compare current prices with those from previous periods. For seasonal sites by the sea, information is required about the last prices they worked at before they closed in the winter.
If an increase is found, the merchant has five days to explain what caused it.
The NRA specifies that not every price increase is unjustified. Prices can be influenced by a number of economic factors, including fuel and transport costs.
Among the sectors with the most violations are services. There are inspections in hairdressing salons, parking lots and other facilities.
“In parking lots, we have had up to a 100% price increase since January“, Mitova pointed out.
She stressed that the state cannot set prices in a market economy.
However, if the trader fails to justify the increase, the control authorities can impose a sanction on him. They cannot oblige him to return the old price.
Since the beginning of the year, about 1,300 acts and nearly 700 penalty orders have been issued for a total of 1.7 million euros.
A tarator for 9 euros and a piece of cake with coffee for 27 euros
In recent weeks, signals have appeared on social networks and in the public space about high prices by the sea.
Among the examples are a tarator for 9 euros and a piece of cake with coffee for 27 euros.
During the inspections of the National Revenue Agency in Burgas and the Golden Sands region, the price of a tarator was between 2.80 and 4 euros, Mitova explained.
„The customer can decide whether to pay 9 euros for a tarator or go to another establishment. The consumer actually determines the market“, she commented.
„Invoice“ instead of a receipt
The NRA has also inspected a Sofia establishment after a report of a receipt that visually resembles a receipt, but on it only says „Invoice“.
The document does not have the mandatory details of a fiscal receipt.
„This is definitely not a receipt“, said Mitova.
During the inspection, NRA inspectors entered the establishment as secret customers. They were also issued a similar receipt.
A total of three violations were found – failure to issue a fiscal receipt, providing a document that does not constitute a receipt, and a difference between the cash register and the funds marked in the fiscal device.
“The goal is always to conceal income when receipts are not issued“, explained the NRA representative.
The inspection also showed that when paying by card, a fiscal receipt is issued, while when paying in cash, customers only received a receipt of the “invoice“ type.
How to check your receipt?
The revenue agency reminds that users can check whether the issued fiscal receipt is valid via the NRA Mobile mobile application.
By scanning the QR code on the receipt, the customer can determine whether the information about the purchase has been received in the NRA system.
The data is usually reflected within a minute or two after the fiscal receipt is issued.