Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1265531
02.07.2020 4 NEWS BUSINESS owners will be able to re- deem government vouchers that cus- tomers will pay with, using an electron- ic system, the Economy Ministry said. Cash from the vouchers will then be credited to a credit card account indi- cated by the business owner. The new system was unveiled on Tuesday by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, who said the €100 vouchers will start being distributed to people aged 16 and over from next week. The vouchers form part of the gov- ernment's stimulus package for the coming three months. Four of the €20 vouchers can be spent on restaurants and accommodation, while one oth- er €20 voucher can be spent in retail shops and services forcibly closed dur- ing the pandemic. Government will be giving more detail on how people can use the vouchers next week. Meanwhile, business owners eligible for the scheme will receive a registered letter from the government with an ac- tivation code. Owners will then be able to register their establishment on a dedicated website using the VAT number and the activation code. When customers pay using the vouch- er, shops will be able to scan a unique QR code on the individual vouchers. The cash equivalent of the voucher will then be transferred to a credit card account inputted by the business own- er upon registration. The app will be made available for all smart phones, and requires an internet connection. When scanning customers' vouchers, owners will also be obliged to scan the VAT receipt issued with the purchase to ensure that all checks and balances are adhered to, Schembri said. MIMCOL, a government entity, will be administering the system. "We don't want to give business own- ers more headaches after what they've been through… the scanning of the QR code will eliminate bureaucracy," Schembri said. Schembri added the vouchers will be equipped with security features, in- cluding a vertical edge that will also il- luminate under UV light, helping own- ers to determine the authenticity of the voucher. Owners will be obliged to keep all vouchers claimed, as they will be re- quired to submit these to MIMCOL in the coming months. App will scan and accept government vouchers, send cash to business's account 4 under when add, establishment or and How can your business accept vouchers? VIsit app.vouchersmimcol.com/register to get your business ready to accept the vouchers. Follow the simple steps and instructions, and you will soon be set up. Your app will only accept vouchers your business is entitled to. Therefore if your business is eligible for Red Vouchers only, you will not be able to scan Blue Vouchers and vice versa. The Government letter sent to you will clearly states which vouchers your business can accept. The voucher has a number of security features. To make sure that the vouchers you accept are authentic, you are required to check each voucher presented to you under a UV light. The €20 and the right hand vertical edge of the voucher, should illuminate under UV light. If a voucher does not illuminate under UV light, do not accept it. Scan the VAT Receipt associated with that customer, using your mobile or tablet. The image of the VAT receipt will be stored at MIMCOL's server for future auditing purposes. The value of the VAT receipt should always be greater than the total value of vouchers scanned. You will also be asked to input the value of the receipt being scanned. The system will not allow you to redeem the value of the voucher if a VAT receipt is not scanned. Scan the QR code on every voucher with the camera of your device. The QR code should be placed close to the camera and centred in the window on your device screen. Make sure there is enough light and that you hold the mobile or tablet steadily. €20 voucher, of blue colour, can Retail and Services provided by who had to close due to legal notices March 2020. vouchers will be coloured red and at Hotels, Accomodation, Bars and Diving Schools. ACCEPTING VOUCHERS in Malta will receive by registered post, 5 vouchers of €20 each, for a Accepting the Vouchers app will only accept vouchers your is entitled to. Therefore if your is eligible for Red Vouchers only, not be able to scan Blue Vouchers versa. The Government letter sent states for which vouchers your is eligible to. 5 Voucher Security Features voucher has a number of security To make sure that the vouchers accept are authentic, you are required each voucher presented to you UV light. For a voucher to be authentic, the €20 and the right hand edge of the voucher, should illuminate under UV light. voucher does not illuminate under UV not accept it. €20 RETAIL & SERVICES €100 VOUCHER €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION The remaining €20 voucher, of blue colour, can be used for Retail and Services provided by businesses who had to close due to legal notices 76 and 95 of March 2020. Four of these vouchers will be coloured red and can be used at Hotels, Accomodation, Restaurants, Bars and Diving Schools. ACCEPTING VOUCHERS Every resident in Malta will receive by registered post, 5 vouchers of €20 each, for a total of €100. Accepting the Vouchers Your app will only accept vouchers your business is entitled to. Therefore if your business is eligible for Red Vouchers only, you will not be able to scan Blue Vouchers and vice versa. The Government letter sent to you, states for which vouchers your business is eligible to. 5 2 1 Voucher Security Features The voucher has a number of security features. To make sure that the vouchers you accept are authentic, you are required to check each voucher presented to you under a UV light. For a voucher to be authentic, the €20 and the right hand vertical edge of the voucher, should illuminate under UV light. If a voucher does not illuminate under UV light, do not accept it. €20 RETAIL & SERVICES €100 VOUCHER €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION €20 RESTAURANTS & ACCOMODATION 4 3 Open your voucher application on your smart mobile or tablet Login into the app using your email, password and the code of your outlet, which was provided to the business owner when the account was activated for the first time. 6 If a voucher has been redeemed already, the application will tell you "Validation Failed". In this case, do not accept the voucher and give it back to the customer saying that voucher is invalid. They can contact 8007 4904 for further assistance. Scan the QR code on every voucher with the camera of your device. The QR code should be placed close to the camera and centred in the window on your device screen. Make sure there is enough light and that you hold the mobile or tablet steadily. If the voucher is valid, the application will tell you "Validation Successful" and you can progress to the next step. In case you need further assistance: Website: www.vouchersmimcol.com Business Helpline: 8007 4950 Email: business@vouchersmimcol.com (quoting your VAT number). 8 Transaction Completed! You are obliged to keep all the vouchers claimed as you will be required to submit these to MIMCOL in the coming months. MIMCOL will provide you with an appointment when you are to submit these scanned vouchers. MIMCOL reserves the right to claim back the value of vouchers which you would have scanned through your app but do not present them when requested. It is your responsiblity to ensure that all the vouchers claimed through your app are collected and stored safely for auditing purposes. Therefore no QR codes should be scanned into the system if you are not presented with the authentic printed voucher. A VAT receipt should always be issued for the products or services sold. Respective VAT receipt should always be equal or greater than the amount of vouchers redeemed. BANK of Valletta is teaming up with The Gozo Business Chamber and Microsoft Malta in co-hosting another Webinar 'Digitalisation and Businesses: A Post COVID-19 scenario' on Friday 3rd July 2020 at 11.00 hrs. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the necessity for businesses to shift their business model towards a more digital one. This shift was an important compo- nent of their survival during this period, however in order to reap the long-term benefits of digitalisation, there has to be a shift from technology as a simple enabler to becoming a core part of the organisa- tion. Paris P. Savva, Territory Channel Manager for Microsoft, SMB (Cyprus – Malta) will be joining Tonia Naudi, Head Multi-Channel and Payments Business for Bank of Valletta for this webinar, where they will be discussing challenges faced by businesses, the way enterprises are redefining the way they operate and the use of digital channels as potential opportunities and solutions. The 'Digitalisation and Businesses' we- binar kick-starts the July BOV webinars. It is one of a series of BOV COVID-19 webinars that the Bank has been hosting or co-hosting during these past months. All webinars are free of charge and open to local businesses and consumers in- terested in gaining more knowledge on the featured topic. Most webinars are also made available to the general public through the Bank's social media pages. The schedule and registration details for upcoming webinars can be found on https://www.bov.com/Pjazza/up- coming-bov-webinars. Past editions of the May and June webinars can also be viewed through the same webpage. More free BOV webinars in July Silvio Schembri