The battle against bureaucracy! What can be done to enable companies to better focus on their core tasks? The federal government has once again addressed this issue with the second Bureaucracy Reduction Act. Around 3.6 million small and medium-sized enterprises will benefit from this, saving them €360 million in the future.
The federal government aims to significantly reduce bureaucratic burdens for small and medium-sized enterprises. They should be able to focus more on their businesses, innovations, jobs, and training. The cabinet has therefore passed the second Bureaucracy Relief Act.
Shorter retention periods, fewer receipts
The Federal Government is thus relieving the economy of around 360 million euros per yearShorter tax retention periods for delivery notes alone will result in tax relief of €227 million. A further €43 million will come from higher flat-rate limits. These will increase from €150 to €200 for invoices for small amounts. Documents used to bill for care services can now be securely transmitted electronically. This will eliminate paper receipts entirely. This will reduce the burden on affected companies by €12.4 million.
“Better Regulation”
Reducing bureaucratic burdens for companies and improving legislative processes is a long-standing concern of the Federal Government. Therefore, over the past two years, it has pushed forward various projects to reduce bureaucratic burdens. These include, in particular, the "Better Regulation 2014" work program and the key points for further easing the burden on small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) from December 2014. Many of the points contained therein have already been implemented or are in the process of being implemented.
The Federal Government adopted a new work program on June 22. Titled "Better Regulation 2016," it is intended to continue the relief for businesses achieved with the Bureaucracy Reduction Act of 2015. This also corresponds to the bureaucracy brake, a voluntary commitment of the Federal Government.
