With legislative amendments initiated in Parliament, Georgia is set to introduce a new universal cash register system that will combine the functions of a cash register and a bank terminal into a single device.
The amendments are included in the Tax Code of Georgia and the main provisions are due to take effect from January 1, 2027.
The explanatory note to the bill states that a single payment operation in business establishments is often currently recorded using several interconnected or separate devices, including various bank terminals. The initiators say this complicates both business operations and customer service.
To address this, the draft introduces a universal cash register that will handle card payments, record cash and non-cash transactions, store data and transmit it to the tax authority through a unified system.
The explanatory note says that card payments already significantly exceed cash transactions in Georgia, yet part of non-cash operations are not directly recorded in cash registers under the current system. The reform aims to ensure that the Revenue Service receives full information on both cash and card transactions in real time.
Under the draft law, only the new type of cash registers will be registered with the tax authority from January 1, 2027. However, businesses will have a transition period and will be allowed to use existing registered cash registers and terminals until May 1, 2028, after which the new system will become mandatory.
The changes also affect the cash register state registry, which will only register the new standard devices after 2027, with existing equipment to be gradually phased out.
One of the key provisions of the draft is the centralisation of supply and technical servicing of cash registers and e-commerce terminals. Equipment and services will be provided by a company selected by a government-appointed commission, in which the Revenue Service and the National Bank of Georgia will be represented. The government will set the service fee and payment procedures through a separate decree.
The draft also amends the Law on Payment Systems and Payment Services, setting a maximum interchange fee of 0.3% for card transactions. It also stipulates that any equivalent charges will be treated as part of the interchange fee, while practices aimed at circumventing the cap — including splitting or reclassifying fees — will be prohibited.
