Good News for Supermarket Suppliers as Tax Inspectors Announce No Tolerance Rule

After cracking down on Croatia’s ‘grey economy’ during the summer season and shutting a number of hotels, restaurants and cafes as a result, and also announcing that non-profit organisations such as the Catholic Church would be heavily scrutinised, Croatia’s Minister of Finance Slavko Linic is set to put the country’s largest supermarket chains under the microscope.

Tax inspectors this autumn will be out in the field once again and this time knocking on the doors of around 30 supermarket chains in Croatia such as Mercator, Kaufland, Interspar, Konzum, Studenac and Tommy.  The announcement to daily Jutarnji list will certainly please supermarket suppliers in the country, with reports that the tax inspectors will be focusing also of late payments.

It has not been unusual for suppliers to some of Croatia’s largest supermarket chains to have to wait, in some cases over 2 years, to be paid for supplying their goods. That is all set to change as tough penalties will ensure for those in breach of the 30 or 60 day payment period. Offenders will face fines of up to 1 million kuna (130,000 EUR) and also personal directors responsible for the breach can be fined up to 50,000 kuna (6,500 EUR). It is also reported that supermarkets will not face the same wrath as cafe bars and restaurants felt when they had their doors shut for having just a few euros extra in the till, due to ’rounding’ when goods are advertised for amounts such 5.97 ect.