Consumers expect some changes again in February.
Most of the innovations have to do with the Corona crisis.
Whether it's tax returns, gardening or online shopping: In
February
consumers expect some
changes
.
Most of the
innovations
are related to the
Corona crisis
.
You can read
an
overview of
all changes with us.
Munich - The new year
2021 started
with important
changes
in January
.
But
February also
has some
innovations in
store - most of them are completely dominated by the
Corona crisis
.
Here are all changes from February 1st in detail.
That will change in February 2021: Corona lockdown extended
At the last
crisis summit of
the federal government, the
corona lockdown was
extended once more.
This is valid until February 14th.
During this time, you are only allowed to
meet
another person in
your
own household, when shopping and in public transport, an
FFP2 and surgical mask requirement has been
introduced,
daycare centers and schools will
remain closed.
How it will continue in mid-February is currently still completely open.
However, from February in some
federal states
, the final classes will return to alternating classes.
At the beginning of the new year, many write the
tax return
on their to-do list.
Some consumers can expect positive news here: The
deadline
for
filing
annual tax
returns
for
2019
would actually be
February 28th.
According to a draft law by the
CDU *
/ CSU
and
SPD *
, this
However, the deadline can be extended to
August 31
.
Changes in February 2021: deadline for tax returns extended
The
German Bundestag announces this
on its homepage.
The decisive factor for this decision is therefore the
corona crisis
.
However, this regulation only applies in those cases in which the taxpayer has called in a
tax advisor
or income tax aid association.
Thanks to the corona crisis,
online trading
is currently booming
.
Credit card payments on the Internet should therefore become more secure - but at the same time a little more complicated.
This is implemented through the so-called "
two-factor authentication
".
That will change in February 2021: More security when shopping online
In concrete terms, this means: When paying in online shops with Mastercard, Visa and Co., it is no longer sufficient to type in
the check digit on the back of the card in
addition to the
credit
card number.
From February 15, this regulation will no longer only apply to sales from 250 euros, but from 150 euros.
In addition to the data on the card, a
TAN
is then
required,
for example
.
The Federal Ministry of Finance has
issued
a
package of measures
to mitigate
the
economic damage caused by
the Corona crisis
.
It is particularly important for retailers: Those who have already
applied for
a
deferred payment
for the
import
sales
tax
due
could be postponed the payment period from January 16 to February 26, 2021.
Provided that the application has been approved.
Changes February 2021: New garden law comes into force in Bavaria
A
new law also
comes
into force
in the
Free State
: From February 1, 2021, the reform of the
Bavarian building regulations
will apply there
.
What is particularly exciting is that the new regulation prohibits pure
rock gardens
and artificial turf.
Municipalities may ban this in the future.
To the
To protect the habitat from insects and birds,
real plants
should be used as
an alternative
.
A new function is now also available for the Corona warning app.
After some violent criticism, this should help that the tool is used more.
With our brand new consumer newsletter you will always stay up to date on consumer information and product recalls.
Changes February 2021: New minimum staffing levels in nursing
In many care areas - such as intensive care medicine, neurology or
geriatrics
- new
lower limits
are to apply
from February 1
for the ratio of staff / care.
In intensive care medicine, for example, each nurse is no longer allowed to look after 2.5 patients per day, but only two.
In order to check this ratio, a
guideline value is to be
set which can then be checked by the authorities.
(kof)