By Rita Deutschbein | Sep 01, 2023 09:08 am
In September 2023, some innovations and changes will come into force in the area of technology and digital. TECHBOOK gives an overview of the changes that are pending in the current month.
In September, consumers have to adapt to several changes, all of which are in the digital environment. Vehicle registration will be easier in the future, the deadline for a tax return is running out, certain light sources are now banned and there are also changes at Elster and a messenger. TECHBOOK briefly summarizes the adjustments.
Messenger Lite will be discontinued
With Messenger Lite, Meta has so far offered a slimmed-down alternative to the large messenger. It required fewer access rights and also required less storage space on the smartphone. Messenger Lite was therefore a popular alternative for many users. But from September 18th, these users will have to change, because then Meta will stop operating the Lite version. According to the company, all chats are automatically transferred to Messenger. In another article, we will explain why its use is not necessarily recommended in comparison.
Read more: Popular messenger is discontinued! Users must act
Income tax return deadline
Many consumers do their income tax returns themselves and without the help of a tax advisor. The tax return for 2022 must be submitted to the tax office by September 30 at the latest. Because then the deadline ends. However, since this day falls on a Saturday, the authorities take October 2 as the deadline as a gesture of goodwill.
On the other hand, if you get professional help with your income tax return, you can still submit it until July 31, 2024.
Change at the tax portal Elster
Speaking of taxes: In September, an important change will also come into effect at the Elster portal. From September 18th, some documents will be gradually deleted from users’ mailboxes. These are messages that have been in the mailbox for more than a year at this point in time.
The reason for the deletion action by Elster is a change in the storage period for documents. In the future, only important files such as digital decision data and transmission logs will be retained permanently. A maximum storage period of one year applies to all other documents. If you want to keep some of the affected documents, you should download them in good time. You can read more about this here: Important changes to the Elster tax portal! Users must act
End for halogen pins
In various areas, more and more attention is being paid to the environment and power consumption. Accordingly, particularly power-guzzling devices are now also banned. Fluorescent lamps and tubes as well as halogen lamps with an R7s base already met this fate on August 25th. Since then, according to the RoHS directive, they can no longer be sold or used. From September 1st, the sale of so-called halogen pins of the type G4, GY6 and G9 will also be prohibited.
The reason is the use of mercury in the lamps. Instead, reference is made to LEDs as a replacement. The RoHS directive regulates the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and is binding for all EU member states.
i-Kfz makes vehicle registration easier
Germany continues to work on digitization. The next stage of the i-Kfz project will start in September. With this, the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) wants to gradually digitize the vehicle registration system in Germany.
i-Kfz is an Internet-based vehicle registration system that allows vehicles to be registered, de-registered or registered online. It has been around since 2019, but has gradually been expanded. Stage 4 will start in September, with which legal entities can also process registration processes via i-Kfz portals for the first time. A major customer interface, for example for car dealers, was also introduced at the start of September. You can now process authorizations for yourself and other people, even in large numbers.
Vehicles registered online can now be used directly in traffic, since the digital notification is sufficient as a vehicle document for a period of up to 10 days. Previously, applicants had to wait for the necessary documents to be sent by post.