Final Word from Thursday, October 30, 2003
EU accession European Union entry will require companies to replace their stationery and perhaps make changes to their computer systems. New taxpayer ID numbers (the DIČ) are to apply as of May 1, 2004. A proposal calls for substituting the prefix of the current DIČ (such as 001) with CZ and keeping the rest of the number. The current prefix is nice, because it makes it easy to spot where a company is registered, but dropping it will mean that a business won't have to get a new DIČ if it changes its seat. Use of the new EU-compliant DIČ will be automatic and won't require a visit to the tax office, unless a business wants proof of the change. The bad news is that it's still not clear how the new number will look. Some tax experts weren't sure if the proposal would pass or if the current hyphen would remain after the new prefix is added. It's still too early to order the new company stationery.