A lot of Slovaks still fill in tax returns in print form. (source: Sme)
The Slovak Financial Administration offers the option of an electronic tax return for already the third year.
While natural persons and self-employed still prefer to send tax returns in paper form via post, companies have prevailingly adopted electronic tax returns, the Hospodárske Noviny daily wrote in early February. In 2013, a mere 15 percent of entrepreneurs filed their tax returns electronically, a year later the number increased to more than 63 percent. The reason is simple: VAT payers are obliged to file a tax return in e-form. Logically, these include more legal entities which usually are VAT payers, vice-president of the Chamber of Tax Advisors, Alica Orda Oravcová, said.
Natural entities do not seem to have much interest in electronic tax returns: last year, only 9 percent filed them. However, in 2014 these were less than 2 percent. In this aspect, Slovakia lags far behind Estonia, in which more than 90 percent of citizens fill in the tax return electronically.
The guaranteed electronic signature may be behind this reluctance; as apart from downloading a form from the eDane website, this signature has to be arranged for, and it can become something of a nuisance.
Despite some obstacles, both tax advisors and entrepreneurs welcome the electronisation of tax returns. They are bothered also by the frequent failures and blackouts of the system, though.
