Taxable persons have always issued vouchers under a diverse range of purposes. They are used, for example, for the purpose of customer acquisition. They also have a pre-financing effect and are often not redeemed by the customer, despite payment. Since 01.01.2019, vouchers have been regulated by sec. 3 para. 13 to 15 German VAT Act. The Federal Ministry of Finance’s recent letter dated 02.11.2020 now sets out how, in the opinion of the tax authorities, the provisions should be interpreted. At least as of 01.01.2021, taxable persons should, if possible, structure their vouchers as multi-purpose vouchers.
Source: kmlz.de