the double penalty returns – Corriere.it

No exemption for tobacconists on the Pos. The about-face of the Customs Agency comes with the determination of 26 June 2023 by director Roberto Alesse. A document that effectively cancels the previous position of 25 October 2022 signed by his predecessor Marcello Minenna which introduced the exemption from the obligation of electronic payments for tobacconists. The exempt goods were postage stamps, cigars and cigarettes in addition to the stamp duty. The obligation to accept payments via Pos will therefore also apply to tobacconists and to anyone who sells monopoly goods.

With the return to the Pos obligation, the double penalty also returns for those who do not comply with the legal obligations. The tobacconist who does not accept cards, debit cards or other digital instruments risks a fine of 30 euros plus 4% of the value of the denied transaction. The re-introduction of the obligation should affect over 50,000 tobacconists in the country.

The exemption that had been decided by the Meloni government and then canceled with the intention of favoring electronic payments in Italy. Also due to the fact, the document from the Customs Agency reads that there are various POS service offers on the market, including flat rates, independent of the number of transactions made, and rates that provide for the reimbursement of commissions for micro-payments less than 10 euros. In addition, electronic payments are on the rise. According to Confesercenti, in 2022, consumption paid by credit or debit card exceeded 300 billion, with a growth of 20% on 2021 and almost 100 billion on 2020. A growth rate that could lead payments in electronic money to exceed those in cash as early as 2025.