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Daniil Egorov, Commissioner of the FTS of Russia, discussed the development and implementation of the Online Cash Registers Control System in Russia. A similar pilot project was launched in Abkhazia on June 1 under the Agreement on the Provision of Gratuitous Technical Assistance by the Russian Federation to the Republic of Abkhazia for Improving the Tax Administration System.

Russia became the first country in the world to take a comprehensive approach to ensuring fair taxation in the retail sector. Before 2016, cash registers were bulky and difficult to maintain, with the sealing and registration process taking up to five days. The cash register reform was rolled out in stages. Major taxpayers were the first to participate in the project, which was later expanded to small and medium-sized businesses. Upon its completion, the Service gained a system that provides real-time insights into the country's retail sector, which is essential for understanding current economic trends. For taxpayers, this meant not only operational automation but also the ability to analyze their own internal business processes.

During the phased rollout of the system, the Service actively gathered feedback from all participating public associations and the taxpayers themselves. Adjustments were made promptly, alongside a large-scale public awareness campaign. “It is vital for people to understand the logic, meaning, and rationale behind this, namely what exactly we are implementing and why. When people saw the experience of early adopters and realized there was nothing extraordinary about it, it was incredibly helpful,” noted Daniil Egorov.

He also noted that the comprehensive cash register reform boosted automation in retail and significantly reduced costs. This made it possible to create a fully automated simplified tax regime for small and medium-sized enterprises. As a result, businesses with up to five employees and an income of up to 60 million rubles were able to almost completely free themselves from accounting duties, as all tax calculations are performed by the FTS of Russia based on data provided by banks and confirmed by the taxpayer in their personal account. Consequently, taxpayers gained more time and resources for growth while reducing the administrative burden of paperwork.

“Such systems undoubtedly have a major impact on our rights as consumers. Since we now receive registered receipts, we can always prove where and what we bought, allowing us to exercise our consumer rights, which is also very important,” emphasized Daniil Egorov. In addition to providing seamless consumer protection, the system offers data that helps individuals track and analyze their personal or family budgets more accurately.

The introduction of the Online Cash Registers Control System in Abkhazia relies on the experience of the FTS of Russia, the Abkhazian colleagues' understanding of local application nuances, and careful attention to taxpayer feedback. “The fact that our colleagues are launching this experimentally first, with plans for a full rollout later, reflects an absolutely sound project-based approach. However, one must be prepared that certain regulations may need to be adjusted rapidly to reflect the specific realities in Abkhazia. This will likely require highly agile cooperation from both the executive and legislative branches. Most importantly, it is crucial to build a clear and transparent feedback loop so that taxpayers can access it easily and conveniently,” emphasized Daniil Egorov.