Ethiopian Taxpayers Rush to Printing Press as Government Puts Three Month Deadline for QR Codes on Receipts

Ethiopian taxpayers issuing receipts across eight cities have been given a three-month period to include QR (quick response) codes on their receipts as part of cross cutting digitization to help authentication efforts in meeting revenue targets. The Ministry of Revenues disseminated a letter two days ago informing branch offices of an amendment to the tax receipt issuance & administration directive implemented for the past five years.

A QR code of at least 2cm on all sides carved by ‘Inkjet’ ink should be printed on all receipts issued by businesses and individual service providers. Printing presses who have access to the QR code portal provided by the Revenues Ministry must ensure adherence to all relevant data privacy and protection laws in place. Taxpayers will need to receive a letter of approval from the Revenues Ministry before requesting QR marked receipts from printing enterprises.

The Justice Ministry’s registration of the new amendment comes a little over a week after the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) mandated all payment service providers to adopt the Standard for Interoperable QR Code Payments by December 1^st. While the use cases for QR codes by tax authorities differs from that of the central bank, it remains an integral part of fortifying the integrity of the whole financial ecosystem. 

Ethiopia’s central bank has pinned its aspirations of expanded financial inclusivity on the accelerated rollout of digital solutions. Limitations on cash withdrawals, mandatory of use of digital payments for fuel purchases and the rapid rollout of digital IDs are part of Ethiopia’s soft transition into a cash-lite payment ecosystem. The National Digital Payment Strategy outlines possible incentives that leverage the capacities of the national switch operator, Ethswtich, to foster financial inclusivity.