The Northern Region National Taxation Bureau of the Ministry of Finance stated that many businesses, in order to receive cash early and increase customer loyalty, have introduced a variety of gift vouchers for consumers to choose from. Due to the promotion of the digital transformation wave and the cultivation of mobile payment habits driven by the pandemic, the issuance of digital “electronic gift vouchers” has rapidly grown. With the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, digital “electronic gift vouchers” not only promote environmental protection by avoiding paper waste but also save time and costs for delivery, making them the preferred choice for gifting among the public and rewarding employees for businesses.
The bureau further stated that according to Article 32, Paragraph 1, of the Value-Added and Non-Value-Added Business Tax Act, when businesses sell goods or services, they should issue uniform invoices to buyers within the time limit specified in the schedule for issuing sales certificates by businesses. In addition, according to Article 14 of the Uniform Invoice Usage Regulations, if a business issues product vouchers that specify a certain quantity of goods redeemable with the voucher, a uniform invoice should be issued at the time of selling the voucher. If cash vouchers are issued with only the amount specified on the voucher, and the holder can use it to purchase goods based on the voucher amount, a uniform invoice should be issued at the time of redeeming the goods. The bureau explained that when businesses sell digital “electronic gift vouchers,” whether they are in cash or product form, despite being different from traditional physical paper vouchers, consumers often receive only digital messages and can use them for purchases by presenting a barcode through a mobile app or SMS. Businesses should still issue uniform invoices in accordance with the aforementioned regulations.
As an example, the bureau mentioned that Company A, a well-known pastry shop, sold one “Electronic Gift Voucher – Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Box” for an amount of 2,000 New Taiwan Dollars (NTD) to Mr. A on August 15, 112th year. The voucher clearly stated that it could be redeemed for one Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake box, making it a product voucher. According to the aforementioned regulations, Company A should issue a uniform invoice of 2,000 NTD to Mr. A on August 15, 112th year (the date of selling the electronic gift voucher).
The bureau urged businesses selling electronic gift vouchers to issue uniform invoices as required. In case of inadvertent omissions, businesses can voluntarily report and pay the omitted taxes and interest to the tax authorities before being investigated by designated investigators of the tax authorities or the Ministry of Finance, and they will be exempt from penalties in accordance with Article 48-1 of the Tax Collection Act.
Source: mof.gov.tw
