- Don’t forget your tax return
- Mandatory comparison of prices at gas stations
- More free tests for the Corona citizens
- The disease notice becomes digital
- Extension of the deadline for submitting applications for transitional aid until the end of the year III
- The collection costs will decrease
- Regulation for fair consumer contracts
- Arrival of Windows 11
- Tougher penalties for harassers
- The clock is ticking again
- New rules for online legal services
- More fairness about contract law
- Don’t forget your tax return
The 2020 tax return must be submitted before October 31, 2021. Those who prepare it without the assistance of a tax advisor must submit it to the tax office before this deadline. Taxpayers who consult a tax advisor even benefit from a postponement until May 31, 2022.
2. Price comparisim obligatory at gas stations
From 1 October, service stations with more than six multi-product dispensers will be required to submit a price comparison of the energy sources they offer. Consumers will then be able to see at a glance what the costs of gasoline, diesel, electricity, natural gas and hydrogen are per 100 kilometres. The price comparison overview should be displayed at gas pumps or on the sales area. The different units (litres/ kilograms/ kilowatt-hours/cubic metres) have so far made it difficult to compare costs directly.
Market costs for fuels or diversified energy sources are therefore intended to raise consumer awareness of the use of alternative engines and energy sources for passenger cars. The respective data are based on the evaluation of the three best-selling vehicle models in each case in the small/compact class and medium/high class segments, as well as on the respective motor energy required.
More free tests for the Corona citizens
From 11 October 2021 , there will no longer be free Corona tests – except for people for whom there is no general vaccination recommendation, who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons and for children under twelve years old. He stated that since there is no longer a shortage of immunization services, the general public should not be required to test unvaccinated individuals per se.
Federal Ministry of Health spokesperson
"All those who can be vaccinated will no longer receive free citizen tests"
There are still exceptions for pregnant women and children and teenagers aged 12 to 17 during the transitional period ending December 31, 2021, with one free test per week.
4. The declaration of illness is converted to digital
The electronic certificate of incapacity for work, or eAU, will be implemented on October 1. Physicians will have to notify the health insurance funds of their patients' sick leave both directly and electronically. By the end of the year, the technical modification must be finished.
For the time being, policyholders will still receive a simplified version of the sick notice printout for their employer. By July 1, 2022, this will also be history, and the health insurance funds will handle it digitally.
5. The deadline for submitting applications for transition assistance III is extended until the end of the year
For companies affected by the Corona pandemic, the "Bridging Aid III" is again extended. The extension is titled "Bridging Aid III Plus" and will end at December ending. Companies with crown-related revenue losses of at least 30% can still apply. The financing conditions for Relay III aid are largely maintained.
The new Plus business start-up aid for solo self-employed workers will also be extended. For the period from October to December, solo independents whose turnover is still limited due to corona can benefit from an additional aid of up to 4,500 euros from the federal government.
On the other hand, the restart bonus expires at the end of September, but the capital grant intended to strengthen particularly affected and persistent companies will also be available until December 2021.
6. Decrease in recovery costs
The debt fees collection agency services will be significantly reduced from 1 October. “Any changes to the debt collection fee are expected to result in a reduction of that fee by approximately 20%. This will benefit consumers and be primarily borne by debt collectors”, can be read on the website anders.de
Among others, there will be an improvement for debtors who already comply with payment requests after a first reminder letter and for small claims up to 50 euros. Consumers should also be informed at an early stage of the costs they may incur through collection agencies or lawyers.
7. Regulation for fair consumer contracts
From 1 October, consumers will be better protected by the law on fair consumer contracts against long contract periods and long notice periods, for example in mobile phone contracts or contracts related to fitness rooms, streaming services and newspaper subscriptions. If a cancellation is forgotten, the contract should not be immediately valid for another year, but a monthly cancellation should be possible.
The law also aims to extend protection against telephone advertising. In the future, companies will need to be able to prove that customers have given their consent. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Lambrecht, stated that if a company does not comply with its obligation to provide documentation, it would be subject to a "heavy fine" of up to 50,000 euros.
Electricity and gas contracts can no longer be concluded only by telephone. A proof in text form (email, SMS, letter,...) is required here. In the future, it will also be necessary to provide a "termination button" on the Internet so that contracts can be terminated there as easily as they were concluded.
8Arrival of Windows 11
Microsoft will launch Windows 11 on October 5. New commercially available devices will then already be equipped with the pre-installed operating system. For eligible Windows 10 device users, free updates will be available gradually, based on model and age.
According to Microsoft's chief marketing officer Aaron Woodman, "by mid-2022, we anticipate that all eligible devices will be offered the free upgrade." The calendar will be communicated to users. They can, however, also take independent action and see if there is an update already available for them in the settings under "Update and security" in the "Windows Updates" navigation point. Support for Windows 10 will last until October 14, 2025.
9. Harsher penalties for harassers
Since October, cyberbullying has been covered by the law as a concept of criminal offence. This includes unauthorized access to accounts, data and photos of other people, as well as the unauthorized creation of accounts on behalf of others in social media with the intent to harm them.
Barriers to criminal prosecution for harassment are reduced. Previously, it had to be proven that the harassment was "persistent" and resulted in a "serious" impairment of the victim’s daily life. Now, 'repeated' and 'non-negligible' standards are used. "More cases of harassment need to be brought before the courts and perpetrators held systematically accountable," said Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht.
10. The clock is ticking again
On the night of 30 - 31 October, this year’s summer time will end and "normal" Central European Time (CET) will apply again. Sunday at 3 o'clock in the morning, the clocks will therefore be set back by one hour again – this night will be longer than an hour. The end of the time change has been discussed many times in the past – but is still not in sight.
11. New rules for online legal services
On 1 October 2021, the law on the promotion of consumer-friendly offers in the legal services market will enter into force. Consumers are increasingly turning to portals which, after entering individual data, create a complaint form based on automated algorithms and then take care of implementing their complaints. This avoids going to the lawyer. These services are summarized under the name of Legal Tech, created from the words "legal services" and "technology". The most well-known suppliers are portals such as «flightright.de», «remarquertied.de» or «geblitzt.de».
Though they deviate from the traditional definition of a debt collection service provider, which is limited to collecting unpaid financial claims, legal technology providers are legally recognized as debt collection service providers. This made it possible for them to agree on contingency fees, something that attorneys were previously only partially allowed to do. When they are permitted to offer debt collection services in the future, the new law will let them to operate for contingency fees on monetary claims up to 2,000 euros. It also governs the information duties of debt collection service providers, the registration requirements for legal technology businesses, and compensation agreements. Customers must be informed of their other choices for exercising their full rights if a legal technology company operates on a contingency fee basis. Therefore, the new law seeks to improve fair competition, legal certainty, and consumer protection while also ensuring more market openness.
12. More fairness about contract law
On 1 October 2021, certain parts of the Fair Consumer Contracts Act will also enter into force. Consumers will benefit in two ways.
Ineffectiveness of prohibitions on assignment for pecuniary claims.
The general terms and conditions of sale (GTC) provisions that restrict the assignment of monetary claims will no longer be enforceable. By doing this, customers are guaranteed the chance to sell their claims to third parties who would then collect them. Customers that don't want to stand up for themselves would gain from this.
Mandatory documentation for telephone advertising
In Germany, it is unlawful to advertise over the phone without prior express agreement. Consumer consent to telephone advertising must now be recorded and kept on file by businesses. Any infraction of this regulation is considered an administrative offense and is subject to a fine. Authorities will find it simpler to combat unauthorized phone advertising because to this innovation.
