Gift vouchers and cards remain, in 2017, the most inspired choice for Holiday bonuses

During the last few years, gift vouchers and cards have reached the top of the employers and employees preferences, because they bring various tax and logistic benefits for companies, while ensuring freedom of choice and maximum spending flexibility for employees.

«Gift vouchers and cards are the ideal choice to reward employees and partners, blending the flexibility of cash bonuses and the memorability of physical gifts. They practically settle both the companies’ needs to increase the efficiency of budgets and logistic simplification, and the employees’ desire to choose themselves the gifts they actually want, from the most varied network of partner stores across the country», states Dana Sîntejudean, General Manager of Edenred Romania.

The recent amendments made to the Tax code have not affected the gift vouchers’ regime, and thus they kept the tax benefits, both for companies and for employees.

Awarded on the occasion of important events during the year, gift vouchers are exempted from the social taxes paid by the employees and the company, within the limit of maximum 150 lei per employee and per minor child, and beginning from last year, they have been also exempted from the calculation of the income tax applied to employees.

Gift vouchers and cards can be awarded to the employees, as well as to their minor children, for Christmas, Easter and June 1st (Children’s day), and for March 8th they can be awarded to female employees.

This tax framework allows employers to show their generosity towards their employees, if they are parents. « For instance, in case of an employee who has 2 minor children, the employer can offer gift vouchers up to 450 lei fully exempted from social taxes and income taxes, namely 150 lei per beneficiary. Christmas is a family Holiday, and gift vouchers help employers offer gifts that bear very personal emotional impact, thus gaining their employees’ loyalty », adds Dana Sintejudean.

Gift vouchers can also be used for business entertainment, in the relationship with the business partners, natural persons or legal entities, and they are deductible within the limit of 2% of the Profit.

Gift vouchers are used in marketing campaigns, market studies, commercials and advertising, they are deductible, and can be included in the category of expenses made for the purpose of gaining revenues.

The widest network accepting gift vouchers and cards from Edenred

In addition to the exemption from salary taxes and contributions, the major advantage of Edenred gift vouchers and cards is the freedom of using them. Employees who receive gift vouchers have the widest network available, more than 60.000 partner retailers across the country, where they can buy any type of gift.

The network of Edenred partner retailers includes all the large hypermarket and supermarket chains, and also renowned brands of fashion and cosmetics, bookstores, jewelry, toy stores, IT & electronics, accessories, decorations, DIY stores, sports products, tourism agencies.

Edenred gift cards can also be used in all types of stores, present all over the country.

Edenred is a leader on the market of prepaid vouchers and cards for employees, both in Romania and internationally. In Romania, Edenred serves more than 35.000 client companies and 1 million users of Ticket Restaurant® meal vouchers and cards, gift vouchers and cards, childcare vouchers, holiday vouchers, social vouchers, as well as prepaid cards for business expenses.