The relevant draft amendments to the cabinet resolution on the food stamp treatment will be considered at a meeting on January 22.
The decision provides for a complete abandonment of paper coupons and harmonization of the regulatory framework with the modern realities of electronic payments.
According to the new provisions, the term “payment card” is replaced by the broader concept of “payment instrument”, which allows the use of various modern electronic solutions. At the same time, the requirements related to series and numbers of coupons, which were previously assigned by the State Tax Service and were relevant only for paper carriers, are excluded.
Retention of outdated norms caused difficulties for operators, employers and controlling authorities, led to unequal treatment of employees and complicated tax control. The proposed changes are aimed at eliminating these problems and ensuring transparent and uniform functioning of the system.
The final transition to an electronic format will reduce administrative procedures, reduce the bureaucratic burden and ensure more effective control of financial flows. For workers, this means more convenient use of food stamps, including when paying for products and services online at retail outlets and catering establishments.
The project also envisages clarification of the conditions for granting food stamps to night shift workers in order to eliminate discrepancies and ambiguous interpretations identified in practice.
The food stamp system covers more than 50,000 workers and about 800 employers. The average cost of a meal ticket is about 60 lei within the tax limit of 35-70 lei per day.
