The “black boxes” equip nearly 80% of restaurants in Belgium, La Libre Belgique is reporting on Thursday, but not all are connected. Although the majority of restaurants are registered (27,175 according to the recent results of the FPS Finance), only a proportion of these (20,704 or 76 %) have actually ordered the POS system with the appropriate fiscal plug-in. Moreover, a POS which is set up may not necessarily have been connected, but only specific inspections can check this.
Miguel Van Keirsbilck, the General Secretary of the Belgian Restaurant Association, indicates, “According to what we know, and from the findings of the inspections, half of all restaurant owners are not playing by the rules.” He has followed the issue for a number of years now. He adds, “This is harmful to restaurant owners who are compliant” whilst it turns out that this “black box” is “a disastrous move for the sector’s business model.”
However, the figure remains approximate. Van Keirsbilck goes further, “In the absence of online monitoring, the FPS Finance cannot properly assess the rate of connection of POSs. This can only be done by carrying out on-site checks, which is not possible in every case.” According to Van Keirsbilck, the government is demonstrating here, “an enormous lack of political courage, accentuated no doubt by the approaching elections.”
The Brussels Times
