Final Word from Thursday, July 9, 2015
While Miroslav Kalousek is rallying small businesses and fellow MPs to oppose Andrej Babiš's "intrusive" new EET online sales-reporting system, Babiš is quietly putting in place something subject to far greater potential abuse. As of next year, all VAT payers will be required to send Babiš's ministry regular reports of all their incoming and outgoing invoices. A computer will match up all the bills across the economy. Assault squads will stand ready to break down doors when discrepancies are found. As finance minister and owner of Agrofert, Babiš won't merely know how much a bar or restaurant is selling on a minute-by-minute basis thanks to EET, but also how much it pays a competing meatpacker or bakery for párky or bread rolls. He will know exactly where to send not only tax auditors, but also Agrofert salesman. If you don't trust Babiš, this is a far greater reason to be concerned than the EET sales-reporting system. [Czech Republic kontrolní hlášení value-added tax]
Glossary of difficult words
to rally - to bring together to support a person or cause or for concerted action;
intrusive - making an unwelcome manifestation with disruptive or adverse effect;
EET - eletronická evidence tržeb (online sales reporting);
discrepancy - a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts;
meatpacker - the business or activity of slaughtering animals and preparing the meat for sale;
párky - the Czech word for wiener or sausage.