End of paper meal vouchers in sight

The possibility of replacing paper meal vouchers with electronic ones has already been around since 2011. At that time, the intention was to simplify the administrative burdens on employers, employees and merchants. Due to the principle of freedom of choice, however, the regulation completely failed to attain its objective. On the contrary, the simultaneous existence of paper and electronic meal vouchers even seems to have increased the administrative burdens on both employers and merchants. Moreover, the fact that it was possible to reverse the choice for electronic meal vouchers impeded development of the electronic system.   So, in order to attain that elusive but still-desired goal of administrative simplification, it has now been decided to generalise the system of electronic meal vouchers and eliminate paper ones altogether as of 1 January 2016. (Royal Decree of 29 June 2014). In this way, the government hopes to limit the administrative burdens on employers and merchants while increasing user-friendliness for employees.   Employers will no longer have to process, verify or distribute the meal vouchers, and the risk of mistakes or losses should be limited. For employees, the electronic system is touted as being easier to use as well as faster and safer, while at the same time entailing a lower risk of loss or theft. For merchants, finally, the abolition of paper meal vouchers means that they no longer have to process or count them, which should reduce mistakes and lines at the cashier´s while speeding up the reimbursement period.   Paper meal vouchers are thus slated to disappear entirely by 1 January 2016.  A transitional arrangement has been provided for 2015: all paper cheques that are still issued in 2015 will have to be used by 31 December 2015 at the latest, and no new paper cheques may be issued any longer after 30 September 2015.