July 11, 2023 – A new Trade Act came into force at the start of July, with an emphasis on the regulation of Sunday shopping in Croatia. Its application has significantly reduced the number and value of fiscalized accounts in trade. So reads data from the Croatian Tax Administration for the first two weeks of July.
On the first two Sundays of July, writes Index, since the application of the new legal provisions restricting the operation of shops, 5.02 million invoices with a total value of more than 80 million euros were issued in the wholesale and retail trade sector, according to data from the Tax Administration.
According to the data from the fiscalization system, the Tax Administration reported that on the first Sunday of July, in wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, a total of 2.38 million invoices were fiscalized, the value of which reached 37.5 million euros.
Numbers Compared to Last Year
On the first Sunday in July last year, a total of 3.03 million invoices were fiscalized, with a total value of 44.5 million euros. This year, on July 2, 650.6 thousand fewer invoices, or 21.4 percent, with a value of 16 percent or 7.03 million euros lower, were issued.
On the second Sunday of July this year, 2.63 million invoices were issued, the value of which reached 43.1 million euros. However, on the second July Sunday of 2022, 3.06 million invoices were fiscalized in shops, with a total value of 44.4 million euros.
Thus, 421.9 thousand fewer invoices, or 13.8 per, cent were issued this year, with a value of 1.35 million euros, or three percent lower.
In the last week before the legal changes, on June 25, 2023, the total number of fiscalized invoices was 2.86 million, and their total amount was 46.5 million euros. That is 14.6 thousand or 0.5 percent more invoices and 6.9 million euros or 17.3 percent more money compared to the last Sunday of last June. According to Tax Administration data, 2.85 million invoices were issued then, worth 39.6 million euros.
Recap of Changes to Sunday Shopping in Croatia
On July 1, the new Trade Act entered into force, according to which shops will usually be closed on Sundays. However, retailers can choose 16 Sundays of the year during which they would remain open. This year, they can still use all 16.
Exceptions to the ban on working Sundays include shops at railway and bus stations, airports and ports, on ferries and petrol stations, as well as in hospitals, hotels, cultural and religious institutions, and museums.
Shops can remain open within visitor centers or interpretation centers, nautical marinas, campsites, family farms, and declared protected nature areas with special regulations.
Who is Excluded?
The regulations do not apply to the purchase of primary agricultural products, the sale of own agricultural products at retail stands and benches at markets, and the sale of own agricultural products at stands and benches at wholesale markets. Furthermore, occasional sales at fairs and public events, sales via vending machines, and distance sales are allowed. Kiosks, a particular form of shop outside stores, can remain open on Sundays and holidays from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
