Update: 28 March 2023 by Maria del Carmen

Grace Period to Transition to Mexico’s CFDI 4.0 Ends

On Friday 31 March 2023 the grace period granted by Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT) in the Miscellaneous Tax Resolution 2023 (RMF) ends. Taxpayers must transition to version 4.0 of CFDI, Comprobante Fiscal Digital por Internet, the electronic billing schema.

Document formats that will no longer be accepted following the end of the grace period include:

What does this CFDI transition entail?

Authorized CFDI Certification Service Providers (PSCCFDI) must update their integration mechanisms to remain compliant with the new CFDI 4.0. Taxpayers must align their technologies with the changes that their PSCCFDI notifies.

What happens if taxpayers don’t migrate to CFDI 4.0?

The authority has the power to impose fines for non-compliance with the new CFDI tax provisions, when executing verification powers or within are fund application process.

These fines range from $ 19,700.00MXN ($ 1000.00 USD approx.) to $ 112,650.00MXN ($ 5500.00 USD approx). Repeated non-compliance can result in the tax authority preventively closing the taxpayer’s  establishment for a period of three to fifteen days.

Fines of $ 400.00MXN ($ 20.00 USD approx) to $ 600.00MXN ($ 30.00 USD approx) will be issued for tax receipts that don’t include the relevant supplements as outlined in the SAT’s guidelines.

In extreme cases where damage to the federal treasury is proven, this is considered comparable to tax fraud. This would involve when CFDI is used for taxes calculation with non-compliance requirements of Articles 29 and 29-A of the Federal Tax Code.

CFDI V 4.0 guidance

The CFDI Version 4.0 became the only way to invoice, the tax authority has updated the following documents ahead of CFDI v4.0 transition:

Companies will need to be mindful of these changes and how to implement them to ensure ongoing compliance during the transition to CFDI 4.0.

Need to discuss compliance with Mexico’s e-invoicing requirements? Speak to our experts.

 

Update: 1 February 2023 by Maria del Carmen

What is CFDI?

CFDI, which stands for Comprobante Fiscal Digital por Internet, is the electronic billing schema defined by the Mexican federal tax code. It has been mandatory for companies that do business in Mexico since 2011.

CFDI aims to increase visibility into companies’ tax liabilities so the government can ensure it is receiving accurate payments. It has been successful, with audits based on the legislation revealing a 34% increase in VAT collected in a single quarter.

Tax legislation in Mexico requires additional information when companies make certain transactions. Named “complementos” or supplements, the additional information must be attached to the main CFDI.

There are 30 main CFDI ‘complementos’, each with its own essential components and requirements. There is also a validation process and cancellation process to follow and a wide range of penalties for non-compliance.

Read our Mexico e-invoicing guide to learn more and ensure compliance with this complex VAT landscape.

Updates to CFDI for 2023

On 27 December 2022, the Mexican Tax Administration Service (SAT) published the Resolution Miscellanea Fiscal (RMF) 2023. Each annual revision sets outs rules and adjustments for CFDI, a key component of Mexico’s electronic invoicing system.

The RMF entered into force on 1 January 2023.

The transition between CFDI V3.3 and V.4

Among the most important rules is the extension of the grace period for issuing certain documents. Now extended to 31 March 2023, the provision covers the following documents:

Cancellations and corrections of CFDI

The RMF 2023 states cancellations of the CFDI cannot be made later than the month in which the annual declaration of the ISR (tax on income) must be submitted. That’s in April for individuals, and in March for companies.

The resolution also states that corrections to the payroll payment CFDI (CFDI de nómina) can only be made once and no later than 28 February 2023.

Hydrocarbons and petroleum

Taxpayers that carry out volumetric controls of hydrocarbons and petroleum products may continue to issue a daily, weekly, or monthly CFDI for all operations carried out with the public, until 31 December 2023.

Including supplement “Hidrocarburos y Petroliferos” in the CFDI will become mandatory 30 days after the SAT publishes the complement on its website.

Carta Porte Supplement

The RMF states until 31 July 2023 no fines will be imposed and it will not be considered under the crime of smuggling if the Carta Porte supplement does not have all the requirements indicated in the CFDI Filing Guide.

To prove the transport of goods or merchandise, the intermediary or transport agents must now issue the CFDI type income (CFDI tipo ingreso) with the Carta Porte Supplement – instead of the CFDI type Traslado.

Taxpayers involved in the motor transport of dedicated services are subject to additional rules. Those who provide the service to a single client or contractor through the specific assignment of vehicle units may issue the CFDI type income (CFDI ingreso) to cover the entire service provided without the Carta Porte Supplement.

In these instances, the client or contracting party must issue the CFDI of transport (CFDI de transporte). This includes the Carta Porte supplement for each trip, which must be related to the CFDI type income (CFDI ingreso) issued by its carrier.

Additional regulations are established regarding the issuance of CFDIs related to bareboat charter services, for a specific time, per trip, and ferry modality.

Resource Identification Supplement

The RMF includes information about the Resource Identification Supplement and Expense Bill of Third Parties provision, this will become mandatory 30 days after the tax authority publishes it on its website.

For further questions don’t hesitate and get in touch with our experts today.

Electronic invoicing in Poland via KSeF has undergone a long journey. Providing new expectations for B2B and B2G transactions alike, it is vital for taxpayers to understand what’s to come – though that can be tough when rules and regulations change frequently.

This blog provides a comprehensive timeline of Poland’s advancement towards its e-invoicing mandate, detailing the adjustments your organisation should be aware of. The cost of non-compliance reaches beyond financial penalties, so knowledge is vital.

If you’re looking for the current KSeF requirements, visit our overview of e-invoicing in Poland. If you want to see the journey the regulation has been on, and any upcoming changes that could affect your business, keep reading.

 

Update 19 January 2024 by Marta Sowinska

Poland’s Ministry of Finance announced today the postponement of its e-invoicing mandate. Originally scheduled for July 2024, the initiative has been postponed indefinitely due to major errors identified in the KSeF system.

The Minister of Finance emphasized that the current technical status of the KSeF system poses substantial challenges, preventing its secure implementation in Poland. Critical errors were identified in the code, affecting overall system functionality and performance of KSeF, prompting the Ministry to take decisive action.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Finance will initiate an external audit to assess the functioning of the KSeF system and evaluate the preparedness for its implementation. The final date for the introduction of mandatory e-invoicing will be contingent upon the results of these audits. In addition, the Ministry will intensify consultations with businesses regarding KSeF.

While expressing full support for the implementation of the KSeF system, the Ministry of Finance reiterated that their priority is to ensure the proper functionality of the system. This commitment stems from the need to secure the economic turnover in the country and avoid situations where taxpayers might be unable to issue e-invoices due to KSeF errors.

 

Update 5 January 2024 by Marta Sowinska

The regulation amending the scope of data included in the JPK_VAT with a declaration (VAT return) in Poland, has been published in the Official Journal on 4th January.

The final version of the regulation from 29 December 2023 has been further changed compared to the initial draft, and its final form does not include previously stated obligations to:

However, it still includes the obligation to include the unique ID number (numer KSeF) in the VAT return, in case the number has been assigned on the invoice, from:

The regulation is planned to enter into force from 1 July 2024.

 

Update: 19 December 2023 by Marta Sowińska

KSeF Technical Specifications Released

The Ministry of Finance has released technical specifications for the KSeF interface in the test environment. This documentation outlines details about QR codes and their associated verification links, it also clarifies information derived from the draft regulation on the use of KSeF that was published in November.

The QR codes serve as visual representations of the verification links and must adhere to the ISO/IEC 18004:2015 standard. Their size and precise placement on printouts are flexible and can be tailored to specific requirements.

 

Update: 28 November 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Mandatory E-invoicing Draft Acts Published in Poland

On 26 November, the Ministry of Finance published two long-awaited draft acts regarding mandatory e-invoicing via KSeF.

  1. The draft regulation on the use of KSeF covers:
  2. Amendment to the e-Invoicing Regulation covering:

The draft acts are planned to enter into force on 1 July 2024, except for the obligation covering VAT-exempt taxpayers.

In the coming days, the tax authorities will publish the interface technical specifications and description of the technical requirements for the verification codes (i.e. QR codes).

 

Update: 26 October 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Both the draft regulation and schema specifications are available to view.

 

Update: 7 August 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Polish President Signs Amendment To VAT Act

On 4 August 2023, the Polish President signed an Act amending the VAT Act and certain other laws which introduces mandatory e-invoicing via KSeF. This means that the e-invoicing mandate will enter into force on 1 July 2024, with no further postponements.

The press information and official announcement from the Ministry of Finance are available to view.

Following the enactment of the law, the Ministry of Finance published a draft regulation amending the regulation on the use of KSeF from 27 December 2021.

 

Update: 28 July 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Poland’s Draft E-invoicing Law To Move Forward

The Sejm has voted against the Senate’s veto which blocked the draft legislation introducing the national e-invoicing system, KSeF, on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.

Following its adoption by Sejm and pursuant to the draft legislation, the e-invoicing obligation will come into force, as planned, on 1 July 2024, with some exceptions.

As a next step, the draft law will be adopted and enacted in the country after it has been signed by the President.

The results of the voting in Sejm can be found here: Głosowanie nr 39 na 80. posiedzeniu Sejmu – Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

 

Update: 6 July 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Ministry of Finance Publishes Updated Schema

On 29 June 2023, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) published updated schema FA(2) on the ePUAP platform in the Central Repository of Electronic Document Templates (CRWDE), template number (2023/06/29/12648).

Important information about timelines:

Read the official announcement for further information.

 

Update: 10 May 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Poland Adopts Draft E-invoicing Law

On 9 May, the government in Poland adopted a draft law introducing mandatory e-invoicing via KSeF, which will take effect from 1 July 2024. Now the draft law must be approved by Parliament, and the next session is planned for the end of May.

The adoption of this piece of legislation is an essential step, showing that the government is moving forward with the digitalization of the public sector by introducing mandatory e-invoicing via KSeF.

Find out more via the official announcement.

 

Update: 22 March 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Poland Confirms Changes to E-invoicing Mandate

Poland has published the second draft law amending the VAT Act and certain other laws on the Government Legislation Centre on 15 March 2023.

The amendments mainly confirm previously announced changes, though some additions are worth noting. The essential clarifications include:

1. Scope of the KSeF mandate

2. Corrective notes excluded from KSeF

The draft law entirely withdraws the possibility for buyers to issue corrective notes. Buyers cannot propose corrections to the original invoices through or outside KSeF, which the previous draft law presented. Accordingly, changes in the issued invoice can be made only by issuing a corrective invoice.

3. Issuing invoices outside KSeF in case of failure

In line with the previous draft proposal, the current draft law specifies the possibility of issuing e-invoices in offline mode – outside of KSeF in a structured format and delivering to KSeF on the next business day – in case of a failure on the taxpayer side.

The Ministry of Finance will communicate relevant information to the public regarding any maintenance work conducted in KSeF or any system failure. During this time, taxpayers can issue invoices outside of KSeF and deliver them to the buyers in the agreed format.

Such invoices must follow the structured format, be assigned with a QR code and, after the failure ends, be delivered to KSeF within seven days. The date of issuance will be the date stated in the P_1 field, while the buyer’s receipt date will be the date when KSeF assigned the unique ID.

4. QR code

The government has added a new requirement for including a QR code on the invoices issued during a failure of the KSeF system. As previously announced, the QR code must also be included on the invoice visualizations issued outside of KSeF, for example, to foreign buyers and on the VAT RR invoices and corrections to them.

5. Self-billing process under KSeF

The Ministry of Finance responded to feedback about the lack of a self-billing process for cross-border transactions. Therefore, a method of authentication in KSeF for foreign buyers will be included in KSeF, allowing foreign buyers to issue structured invoices on behalf of the suppliers.

6. Exchange rate

The exchange rate used for converting foreign currencies into PLN currency can be maintained from the day preceding the date indicated in the P_1 (date of invoice issuance).

The exchange rate will be calculated based on the date when an e-invoice was issued (stated in the P_1 field), provided that an e-invoice is sent to KSeF no later than the day after the date indicated in the P_1 field.

7. Penalties

Sanctions will apply from 1 January 2025 (previously 1 July 2024) up to 100% of the amount of VAT indicated on the invoice or up to 18.7% of the total amount due shown on the invoice. However, no minimum penalty amount will apply – previously, it was 1000 PLN – approx. 200 EUR.

 

Next steps for Poland’s KSEF e-invoicing mandate

The draft law is expected to be published in Q3 of 2023, with most provisions applying from 1 July 2024.

Accordingly, the associated final schema FA (2) and FA (RR) are also planned to be published at the end of June or the beginning of July, as announced by the Ministry of Finance during a conference on 16 February 2023. Therefore, we are still waiting for the legislative process to be completed for the e-invoicing mandate to take effect.

Speak with our team if you need more information on the upcoming e-invoicing changes in Poland.

 

Update: 3 February 2023 by Marta Sowińska

Poland: E-invoicing Mandate Postponement to 1 July 2024

According to an official announcement published by the Ministry of Finance on 2 February 2023, the go-live date of Poland’s mandatory e-invoicing system is now 1 July 2024 – delayed six months from the previous date.

More than a year after the roll-out of the voluntary phase and following extensive testing of the KSeF system by taxpayers, the Ministry of Finance responded to the feedback submitted in the public consultation by delaying the mandate and relaxing certain requirements.

The expected changes are:

Taxpayers should not treat the postponement of the e-invoicing mandate as a reason to pause the implementation process. Instead, treat the delay as an incentive to implement complex legislative and technical requirements before the go-live date and adapt their accounting and invoicing processes considering any errors that may appear.

Looking for more information on e-invoicing in Poland? Speak with our expert team.

With the entry into force of resolutions SAT-DSI-1240-2021 and SAT-DSI-1350-2022, most taxpayers in the country are now obliged to issue electronic invoices under the Online Electronic Invoice System (Regimen de Factura Electronica en Linea – FEL).

The latest taxpayers to join the mandatory electronic billing system are include taxpayers incorporated into the General Value Added Tax (VAT) Regime and the group of natural and legal persons registered in the Small Taxpayer Regime.

With the addition of these last two groups, the Superintendence of Tax Administration of Guatemala (SAT) has practically completed the gradual process of incorporation into the country’s electronic invoicing regime.

Today, the general population should only accept FEL documents from obligated taxpayers. Paper invoices (preprinted) are no longer valid, making them unusable for transactions such as tax credit, among others.

The operating model and the rules applicable to the online electronic invoice of the Republic of Guatemala includes the issuance, transmission, certification, and preservation by electronic means of invoices, credit and debit notes, receipts, and other documents authorised by the Superintendence of Tax Administration, known as Electronic Tax Documents (DTE).

Electronic documents

The following tax documents are available for issuance under the Regimen de Factura Electronica en Linea – FEL:

Guatemala e-invoice issuance process

The Guatemalan system follows e-invoice clearance system, the well-established trend in LatAm countries. The clearance system means that the tax authority must authorise the electronic documents before the issuer is able to send them to the recipient.

The issuance process goes through the following mandatory steps:

  1. The taxpayer issues the document with an electronic signature, and it is sent to the certifier automatically.
  2. The certifier receives, validates, and authorises each document, which is automatically sent to the issuer and to the SAT.
  3. The issuer delivers the document to the receiver or client.
  4. The SAT verifies each electronic tax document and makes it available to the issuer and receiver for consultation and verification.

Archiving

The SAT store all invoices. This does not exempt senders and receivers from keeping the XML file for the period of four years, established in the Tax Code. The certifiers are also obliged to keep the certified DTE files in XML format, as well as the respective acknowledgments of receipt from the SAT.

Implementation

Now 98.23% of the total billing of the General VAT Regime is using FEL, with only around 20,000 businesses needing to migrate to the system since it was first launched in 2020.

Online e-invoices for all remaining VAT registered business will be mandatory from 1 April 2023 via the FEL.

Need help with e-invoicing in Guatemala?

Still have questions about e-invoicing in Guatemala? Speak to our tax experts.

African countries are following e-invoicing and continuous transaction control trends implemented rapidly by many countries around the globe.

Each country in the continent is developing their variation of a tax digitization system. This means there is currently no standardisation with compliance requirements differing in each jurisdiction.

A common transaction reporting feature among African countries is the use of electronic or virtual fiscal devices. Electronic fiscal devices are cash registers with software and direct communication to the tax authority. Virtual fiscal devices serve the same purpose but without the hardware component.

However, reporting transactions is one of many fiscal digitization processes applied by African countries. E-invoicing is on the agenda for several authorities, including Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. In this blog we explain the key features of these systems.

E-invoicing in Africa: Countries

Nigeria: Automated Tax Administration System and Cross-Border e-Invoicing

Taxpayers report their transactions electronically to the tax authority through the Automated Tax Administration System (ATAS), established for electronic VAT compliance purposes.

In addition to this e-reporting function, as of February 2022, all import and export operations need an authenticated e-invoice issued according to the format specified by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The CBN has introduced the Cross-Border e-Invoicing program, where suppliers and buyers operating in imports and exports register on the dedicated electronic platform. There are exemptions to obligatory e-invoices based on operations and taxpayers, such as the transaction value within the invoice.

Kenya: Tax Invoice Management System

Businesses subject to VAT must report their e-invoices to the Tax Invoice Management System (TIMS), which requires taxpayers to install, and use approved electronic tax register machines. These tax register machines connect to the tax authority’s online system. There is a mandatory format for submitting e-invoices to the tax authority.

Regarding the full implementation, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) announced additional time to comply with the TIMS after the grace period, and taxpayers are expected to be fully prepared by the end of November 2022.

Uganda: Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System

The Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System (EFRIS) covers invoices and receipts of B2B, B2G and B2C transactions. Taxpayers must send e-invoices to EFRIS through electronic fiscal devices or via an API connection between the taxpayer and EFRIS. When initiating a transaction, transaction details are transmitted in real time to EFRIS to generate an e-receipt or e-invoice.

Africa’s future e-invoicing landscape

Given the growth in jurisdictions applying mandatory e-invoicing and e-reporting and the common agenda set by African Union that also refers to tax control and traceability, we can expect more African countries to introduce similar e-invoicing systems in the near future. The countries that follow will likely learn from the pioneers, leading to a more uniform development of tax digitization in Africa.

Need help for E-invoicing in Africa?

Ask our tax experts about e-invoicing compliance in African countries. Simply get in touch. Or read our E-invoicing Guide for more in-depth information about electronic invoicing’s development and adoption, globally.

New bookkeeping law – Lov om bogføring

On 19 May 2022, the Danish Parliament passed a new bookkeeping law – Lov om bogføring – introducing requirements for companies to use a digital bookkeeping system.

Section 16 of the Law requires many Danish companies to use a digital bookkeeping system and make their bookings electronically. The final deadline is yet to be announced but is expected to be July 2024, with the Danish Business Authority announcing they will give businesses enough time to comply with the e-bookkeeping requirements.

Scope of Denmark’s bookkeeping law

The subjective scope of the digital bookkeeping requirements covers all companies in Denmark that are liable for accounting according to section 3(1) of the Financial Statements Act. Moreover, other companies whose net turnover exceeds DKK 300,000 in two consecutive income years are subject to digital bookkeeping requirements. Finally, the rules cover bookkeepers and others who carry out bookkeeping for other companies.

These companies will be required to record company transactions and store records in a digital bookkeeping system. Companies can use a digital bookkeeping system registered with the Danish Business Authority, Erhvervsstyrelsen, or any other bookkeeping system. However, companies who choose the latter option must ensure their systems meet the requirements according to Law for digital bookkeeping systems.

Potential e-invoicing mandate and PEPPOL

While the new bookkeeping law doesn’t introduce any mandatory e-invoicing or continuous transaction controls (CTC) obligations for businesses, it is envisaged that the digital bookkeeping systems must support continuous registration of the company’s transactions and the automation of administrative processes. This includes automatic transmission and receipt of e-invoices.

This requirement was further detailed in the draft executive order on requirements for standard digital bookkeeping systems, which outlines that the taxpayers:

Moreover, the new bookkeeping law authorised the Minister for Industry, Business, and Financial Affairs to introduce rules:

(a) that require companies to record their transactions regarding purchases and sales with e-invoices as documentation of the transactions,

(b) on transmission of records by digital bookkeeping systems to a public receiving point through the shared public digital infrastructure for the exchange of e-documents and the storage of such records.

What’s next for Denmark?

Although Denmark’s e-invoicing journey is still in the early phases, it seems that the new bookkeeping law and requirements for digital bookkeeping systems lay the foundation for a future e-invoicing mandate to be duly introduced by the Minister for Industry, Business, and Financial Affairs.

It will be interesting to see how and when Denmark’s plans for e-invoicing will take shape and be affected by the upcoming results from the EU Commission on the VAT in the Digital Age project.

Need help for E-invoicing in Denmark?

If you have any question about Denmark’s new bookkeeping law or e-invoicing requirements in Denmark, please reach out to us: Speak to our tax experts. Refer to this guide for a comprehensive overview about e-invoicing in general.

France is implementing a decentralised continuous transaction control (CTC) system where domestic B2B e-invoicing constitutes the foundation of the system, adding e-reporting requirements for data relating to B2C and cross-border B2B transactions (sales and purchases).

Under this upcoming regime, data or invoices can be directly sent to the Invoicing Public Portal ‘PPF’ (Portail Public de Facturation, so far known as Chorus Pro) or to a Partner Dematerialization Platform ‘PDP’ (Plateformes de Dématerialisation Partenaires). In addition, there are also Dematerializing Operators (Operateurs de dématérialisation) that are connected to either the PPF or a PDP.

Requirements for these portal and platforms have been published.

New details on requirements for portals and obtaining PDP status

The Ministry of Economy published Decree No. 2022-1299 and Order of 7 October 2022 on the generalisation of e-invoicing in transactions between taxable persons for VAT and the transmission of transaction data (together known as ‘new legislation’),  providing long-awaited details for PDP operators and PPF.

The new legislation introduces rules concerning the application process for PDP operators. Although French establishment isn’t required, PDP operators must fulfill a number of requirements, such as operating their IT systems in the EU.

France is implementing a model where third-party service providers are authorised to transmit invoices between the transacting parties. With the mandatory use of the PPF or PDPs for exchanging e-invoices, trading parties cannot exchange invoices between them directly. Therefore, PDPs must be able to receive and send invoices in structured formats, whether the ones supported by the PPF (CII, UBL, or FACTUR-X) or any other required by their clients. Also, to ensure interoperability, PDPs are expected to connect with at least one other PDP. Besides this requirement, it’s stated by the new decree that PDPs must be able to send e-invoices to PDPs chosen by their recipients which implies a complete interoperability between PDPs.

Transitional period for submitting PDF invoices

It was previously announced that taxpayers could submit PDF invoices for a transitional period. The new legislation outlines the transitional period as until the end of 2027. During this period PDPs and PPF must be able to convert the PDF into one of the structured formats.

New details on e-invoicing and e-reporting in France

The new legislation also provides information about the content of e-invoices, which has new mandatory fields, and the content of transaction and payment data to be transmitted to the tax authority.

It also announced frequencies and dates of data transmission. Deadlines for transaction and payment data transmission are based on the tax regimes of taxpayers. For example, taxpayers subject to the normal monthly regime should transmit payment data within ten days after the end of the month.

With the aim of having traceability over documents, the lifecycle statuses of the domestic B2B e-invoices are exchanged between the parties and transmitted to the PPF. Lifecycle statuses that are mandatory (“Deposited”, “Rejected”, “Refused” and “Payment Received”) are listed in the new legislation.

Further details regarding the Central Directory, which consists of data to properly identify the recipient of the e-invoice and its platform, are provided within the Order.

The road ahead for service providers

PDP operator candidates can apply for registration as of Spring 2023 (precise date still to be confirmed), instead of September 2023 as previously set. From January 2024, a six-month test run is expected to be conducted for enterprises and PDPs before the implementation in July 2024.

Talk to a tax expert

Still have questions about France’s upcoming continuous transaction control mandate? Get in touch with our tax experts.

Brazil is known for its highly complex continuous transaction controls (CTC) e-invoicing system. As well as keeping up with daily legislative changes in its 26 states and the Federal District, the country has over 5,000 municipalities with different standards for e-invoicing.

The tax levied on consumption of services (ISSQN – Imposto Sobre Serviços de Qualquer Natureza) lies under the competence of the municipalities. Each municipality has authority over the format and technical standard of the services e-invoice (NFS-e – nota fiscal de serviço eletrônica). This poses a significant compliance challenge, as e-invoicing is mandatory for nearly all taxpayers in the country.

However, important steps have been taken towards changing this scenario. An agreement (Convênio NFS-e) recently signed by the Brazilian Federal Revenue Agency (RFB), the National Confederation of Municipalities (CNM), and other relevant entities, has established the National System of the NFS-e with a countrywide unified standard for the services e-invoice.

The National System of the NFS-e (SNNFS-e)

The SNNFS-e introduces a unified standard layout for the issuance of the NFS-e, as well as a national repository of all e-documents generated within the system. Adhesion to the system is voluntary for municipalities. Since the bill proposed to regulate this issue (PLP 521/2018) has been static in Congress since 2019, the agreement was designed to allow municipalities to voluntarily adopt the national standard, which then becomes mandatory for taxpayers.

The system will allow issuance of the NFS-e in a national standard, through the web portal, mobile app or API (application programming interface). It also creates the National Data Environment (ADN), the NFS-e unified repository.

The SNNFS-e offers several service modules and municipalities can choose which ones to adopt. The ADN is the only mandatory module, as it ensures the integrity and availability of information contained in the documents issued is in the unified standard. Additionally, the ADN allows adhering municipalities to distribute issued NFS-e among themselves and taxpayers.

Once the agreement is signed, the municipality must activate the system within a certain deadline, which hasn’t been established. Activation involves configuring system parameters and amending municipal legislation to reflect the national system requirements. Only after complete activation will taxpayers be able to issue invoices based on the unified standard.

Technical documentation of the NFS-e has also been released, but these are not the definitive specifications, which are still to be approved by the National Standard Electronic Service Invoice Management Committee (CGNFS).

What this means for businesses

The NFS-e national standard provides substantial simplification of taxpayers’ e-invoicing obligations. With a standard layout, compliance with multiple formats can be drastically reduced. The document format for issuance of the standard NFS-e is XML and it must be digitally signed.

Another benefit is that one of the available modules allows taxpayers to pay the ISSQN owed in several municipalities at once, using one single document (Guia Única de Recolhimento) issued by the system.

Although municipalities may choose to keep their current NFS-e issuance system, they must still adhere to the communication deadlines, layout, and security standards of the national NFS-e. They must also ensure transmission of all issued documents to the national data environment. This ensures that taxpayers will only be required to issue the NFS-e in one standard layout.

What’s next for e-invoicing in Brazil?

The first phase of production started on 23 July 2022 with five pilot municipalities. Transmission will be available through different methods, with gradual implementation. According to the initial implementation schedule of the National Confederation of Municipalities, API transmission is set to happen from mid-October 2022 or later, depending on the stability of the other transmission methods. Further development of this schedule can be expected in the coming months.

São Paulo, Salvador, and Florianópolis are among the many municipalities that have already signed the agreement. The success of this national NFS-e standard relies on significant adoption by municipalities, so taxpayers must ready themselves to comply as this takes place across the country.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoicing requirements? Get in touch with our tax experts.

Update: 8 March 2023 by Kelly Muniz

Spain launches public consultation for B2B mandatory e-invoicing

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation (Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital) has launched a public consultation on the upcoming B2B e-invoicing mandate.

The mandate will enable citizens to participate in elaborating norms before its development. This public consultation is carried out through the web portal of the competent department and all interested parties have until 22 March 2023 to send feedback.

Based on the feedback received, the government will develop and approve the regulatory framework that is needed according to the law adopting mandatory B2B e-invoicing which was published on 29 September 2022.

The public consultation consists of 32 specific questions on seven different areas that the regulatory framework will address. These areas are:

You can find the official text of the public consultation here.

Looking for more information on e-invoicing in Spain? Speak to a member of our expert team. For more information about VAT compliance in Spain read this page.

 

Update: 16 September 2022 by Victor Duarte

Spanish Congress Approves Mandatory B2B e-Invoicing

The Congress of Spain has approved the Law for the Creation and Growth of Companies, and it is expected to be published in the Official Gazette (BOE) in the following days.

This Law also amends Law 56/2007 on Measures to Promote Information to adopt the mandatory electronic invoice issuance requirement for all entrepreneurs and professionals in their commercial relationships.

Introducing mandatory electronic invoicing in Spain for the private sector

According to this Law, all entrepreneurs and professionals must issue, send, and receive electronic invoices in their business relationships with other entrepreneurs and professionals. Additionally, the recipient and the sender of electronic invoices must provide information on the status of the invoices.

The main rules of the Law related to e-invoicing establishes that:

The process for accreditation of interconnection and interoperability of the platforms will be determined by the regulations at a later stage.

Additional electronic invoicing obligations for certain sectors

The law establishes that companies providing the supply of certain services to final consumers must issue and send electronic invoices in their relations with individuals who agree to receive them or who have explicitly requested them. This obligation affects companies supplying telecommunication services, financial services, water, gas, and electricity services among other sectors and activities prescribed in Article 2.2 of Law 56/2007.

These companies must provide access to the necessary programs so that users can read, copy, download and print the electronic invoice for free without having to go to other sources to obtain the necessary applications. They must also enable simple and free procedures so users can revoke the consent given to the receipt of electronic invoices at any time.

Companies within scope that refrain from offering users the possibility to receive electronic invoices will be sanctioned with a warning or a fine of up to 10,000 euros.

Next step: regulatory framework

The Government will develop provisions of this Law in accordance with the regulations, and within the scope of its powers. Therefore, the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation and of Finance and Public Administration will determine the information and technical requirements to be included in the electronic invoice to verify the payment dates and obtain the payment periods.

It is also necessary to establish the minimum interoperability requirements between the providers of electronic invoice technology solutions, and the security, control, and standardisation requirements of the devices and computer systems that generate the documents.

The Government will have 6 months from the publication of this Law in the Official Gazette to approve the regulatory framework.

Entry into force for Spain’s mandatory B2B e-invoicing

The provisions regarding mandatory B2B electronic invoicing will be effective according to their annual turnover:

This means that the B2B e-invoicing obligation could be effective for large taxable persons by the first quarter of 2024.   

It is important to highlight that the entry into force of the B2B e-invoicing obligation is subject to obtaining the community exception to articles 218 and 232 of the VAT Directive. This exception is less difficult to obtain the previously as has been granted to other Member States such as Italy, France, and Poland to allow them to adopt the mandatory e-invoicing regime in their jurisdictions.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoicing requirements in Spain? Get in touch with our tax experts.

On 30 August 2022, the Ministry of Finance published draft legislation amending the Regulation on the use of the National e-Invoice System (KSeF). The purpose of the draft amendment is to adapt KSeF’s terms of use to the specific conditions that apply to the local government units and the VAT groups that will operate as a new type of VAT taxpayer from 1 January 2023.

The current regulatory status in Poland

The concept of VAT groups was introduced in Poland in October 2021. VAT groups are a legal form of cooperation, a type of taxable entity that exists solely for VAT purposes. On joining a VAT group, a group member becomes part of a new separate VAT taxpayer possessing one Polish tax identification number (NIP).

The regulation on the use of KSeF didn’t take into consideration the uniqueness of the legal nature of the VAT group, as well as the VAT settlements in the local government units. Based on current regulation, the governmental units are treated as a single VAT taxpayer, using one NIP number.

Similarly, in the case of VAT groups, separate VAT taxpayers who create one new taxpayer (a VAT group) use one NIP number. The proposed changes resulted from the ongoing public consultations that took place in December 2021. Additionally, the change was also requested in May 2022 by the Union of Polish Metropolises.

Proposed amendments to the current e-invoice regulation

The draft law provides the possibility to grant additional limited rights for the local government units and members of VAT groups. Moreover, local government units and VAT groups will be able to grant administrative rights, to manage permissions in KSeF, to a natural person who is their representative.

Thanks to such delegated rights, there will be an option to manage authorisations for the local government unit and for the entity that is a member of a VAT group. Moreover, it is significant that a person with such authorisation will not have simultaneous access to invoices in other units within the local government or within other members of a VAT group.

For local government units and VAT groups, granting or withdrawing authorisation to the natural person must be performed electronically. It’s not possible to submit a paper form to notify the competent tax authority.

Remaining issues for KSEF and enforcement date

As mentioned, the proposed amendments are in response to concerns that were raised by the impacted entities. However, they don’t meet all the needs of local government units and VAT groups. For instance, the question of how to assign an inbound electronic invoice to a particular internal unit or member of a VAT group remains open. This is because invoices contain only the data of the taxpayer, which in this case is the local government unit or a VAT group, and not data of the internal unit or member of a VAT group.

The regulation will enter into force 14 days after the date of publication. However, provisions that apply to VAT group members will be effective from 1 January 2023.

Take Action

Want to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoicing requirements in Poland? Get in touch with our tax experts. For more information see this overview about e-invoicing in Poland or VAT Compliance in Poland.

The Colombian tax authority (DIAN) continues to invest in the expansion of its CTC (continuous transaction controls) system. The latest update proposes an expansion of the scope of documents covered by the e-invoicing mandate.

In this article we’ll address the newly published Draft Resolution 000000 of 19-08-2022. This advances important changes for taxpayers covered by mandatory e-invoicing rules.

These draft changes include a new obligation to issue equivalent documents (documentos equivalentes) in electronic format, a schedule for its implementation, updated technical documentation and other significant developments, all of which require taxpayers to ready themselves to comply.

What will change for Colombian businesses with these new e-invoicing proposals?

Amongst many proposed changes, the draft resolution’s main purpose is to regulate the electronic issuance of the equivalent document.

These documents correspond to the sales invoice under Colombian law, but cover specific types of transactions and are regulated in the draft resolution, as follows:

  1. Cash register receipt generated with P.O.S systems
  2. Cinema admission ticket
  3. Passenger transport ticket
  4. Extract issued by trusts and fund companies
  5. Passenger air transport ticket
  6. Document in localised games
  7. Ballot, fraction, form, card, ticket or instrument issued in games of chance, other than localised games
  8. Document issued for the collection of toll payments
  9. Proof of settlement of operations issued by the Stock Exchange
  10. Document for operation of agricultural stock exchange and other commodities
  11. Document issued for domiciliary public services
  12. Entrance ticket to public shows and performing art shows
  13. Entrance ticket to other public shows

This means that all taxpayers subject to the Colombian e-invoicing mandate who issue one of these equivalent documents will be required to do so in an electronic format, according to the Technical Annex of the Electronic Equivalent Document version 1.0 (Anexo técnico del Documento Equivalente Electrónico), introduced by the draft.

Additionally, the draft provides an initial regulation of the electronic documents of the invoicing system (documentos electrónicos del sistema de facturación). These are documents that aid control by the tax and customs authority, to support tax or customs declarations and/or to support the procedures carried out before DIAN, under the provisions of subsection 1 of article 616-1 of the Tax Statute.

Finally, the technical specifications of the system’s main electronic invoice, the sales e-invoice, is updated to version 1.9 (Anexo técnico de la Factura Electrónica de Venta version 1.9).

Deadlines for Colombia’s e-invoicing proposals

The obligation to issue the equivalent document in electronic format will be implemented gradually, according to the type of equivalent document. It starts on 1 March 2023 and will cover all equivalent documents on 1 July 2023.

Early voluntary implementation will also be possible, once the functionality is available in DIAN’s system. Until the deadlines for the electronic implementation of the equivalent document are fulfilled, these must continue to be issued in accordance with Resolution No. 000042 of 2020.

The draft also sets a schedule for implementation of the electronic documents of the invoicing system, during the taxable years of 2023 and 2024. These documents will be further regulated in the six months following the validity of the official resolution, as well as the adoption of its technical annex, which hasn’t been presented with the draft resolution.

Lastly, the proposal establishes the deadline for implementation of the Technical Annex of the electronic sales invoice version 1.9 by taxpayers. This will be at least three months following its official publication.

What’s next for e-invoicing in Colombia?

The draft resolution, once officially published, will derogate DIAN Resolution No. 000042 of 2020 in all provisions that are contrary to it, except those related to equivalent documents, which will remain in force until the DIAN establishes their electronic implementation.

Taxpayers can also expect new legislation regulating the remaining electronic documents of the invoicing system, in the months following the official publication of this draft resolution.

Until then, companies should prepare for the significant upcoming changes and adjust their businesses processes to comply with the new Colombian mandate.

Take Action

Need help with evolving e-invoicing requirements in Colombia? Get in touch with our tax experts about how Sovos can help your business meet your VAT compliance obligations.

Update: 14 February 2023 by Andrés Landerretche

Colombia Update: P.O.S. Tickets Threshold Rules Now in Force

As of February 2023, new rules came into force in Colombia. These are for the issuance threshold of equivalent documents generated by Point of Sale (P.O.S.) systems.

As a result, a ticket issued by cash registers with P.O.S. systems (tickets de máquinas registradoras con sistemas P.O.S.) must not exceed the maximum amount of five Tax Value Units (UVT), without including the amount of tax for each sale or service provision operation.

For sales operations and the provision of services exceeding this amount – excluding taxes – taxpayers must issue an electronic sales invoice as part of the country’s e-invoicing mandate.

It is important to note that the equivalent documents generated by cash registers with a P.O.S. system do not entitle the purchaser to discountable sales tax (VAT) or costs and deductions in income and complementary taxes.

However, purchasers may request that the seller issue a sales invoice when they have the right to request deductible taxes, costs, and deductions. In this case, the supplier must issue an electronic sales invoice.

The Colombian tax authority (DIAN) officialised the implementation of the five UVT thresholds for tickets generated through P.O.S. systems through Resolution 1092, published on 1 July 2022.

The Resolution implemented the phased roll-out of this mandate, following the calendar below:

Every 1 January from the taxable year 2024, taxpayers obliged to issue a sales invoice that choose to issue the equivalent document, called a ticket for a cash register with a P.O.S. system, must adjust the value of the applicable UVT to comply with the limitation of five UVT in the issuance of each ticket.

Speak with a member of our expert team for further clarification of e-invoicing in Colombia.

 

Update: 23 August 2022 by Kelly Muniz

The Colombian tax authority (DIAN) has concentrated heavily on expanding its electronic invoicing regime over recent years. The DIAN introduced the first schedule for mandatory implementation of e-invoicing in the country in 2018, and, since then, the system has gradually encompassed more transactions and taxpayers.

In this article, we’ll look at the two latest new mandates in Colombian e-invoicing:

  1. The introduction of the support document for purchases (Documento Soporte en Aquisiciones con No Obligados a Facturar Electronicamente) and
  2. The implementation of a threshold for the issuance of point of sale (POS) tickets.

These new obligations have significant impact and require adjustments by taxpayers. These changes also represent a substantial expansion of Colombia’s e-invoicing to include entirely new transactions under its scope.

Support document for acquisitions

The Colombian tax authority has created a new e-document type, the support document for acquisitions from subjects not obliged to issue e-invoices. This support document and its corrective notes were introduced by Resolution 167 of 2021. It expands the e-invoicing scope to ensure more transactions fall within the mandate and allows support for tax deductions.

Taxpayers obliged to generate this e-document are those under the country’s e-invoicing regime. It includes those subject to income and complementary tax payments and responsible for VAT when purchasing goods and/or services from suppliers not obliged to issue e-invoices or equivalent documents and require support for costs and deductions in the mentioned tax declarations. To generate the support document, the taxpayer must be authorised by the DIAN as an electronic issuer.

The support document and its corrective notes must be generated in XML format and contain a CUDS: unique support document code (código único del documento soporte). This alphanumeric code allows it to be unequivocally identified. After generation, the e-documents must be transmitted for clearance by the DIAN either in real-time or, at the latest, on the last calendar day of the week, for accumulated operations with the same supplier carried out during that same week.

Having been postponed from its original implementation date, the generation of the acquisitions support document became mandatory on 1 August 2022.

Implementation of POS ticket issuance threshold

According to this mandate, cash register tickets generated through POS systems (tickets de máquinas registradoras con sistemas P.O.S.) may be issued by subjects obliged to invoice, provided that the sale of the good and/or the provision of the service recorded therein doesn’t exceed five (5) UVT (tax value unit) for each document, excluding taxes.

This means that, for operations covering sales of goods and/or provision of services exceeding the amount of five (5) UVT, taxpayers under the country’s e-invoicing mandate must issue an electronic sales invoice. The purchaser of goods and/or services below the threshold may still require the issuance of a sales invoice, in which case the supplier must provide it.

The threshold was de facto introduced in 2021 by Law 2155, but it was only in July 2022 that the DIAN established a phased roll-out of the mandate, through Resolution 1092, following the calendar below:

Are you ready for these changes?

While the generation of the support document for acquisitions is already srequired, taxpayers must start preparing to comply with the new threshold for e-invoice issuance in place of POS tickets. Sovos can help your company adjust to e-invoicing and ensure compliance with Colombia’s new mandates.

Take Action

Contact our team of experts today to ensure your company is complying with Colombia’s e-invoicing mandates.

The European Commission (EC)’s action plan for fair and simple taxation – ’VAT in the Digital Age’- continues to progress. After a public consultation process, the EC has published Final Reports discussing the best options for the European market to fight tax fraud and benefit businesses with the use of technology.

The areas covered are:

  1. VAT reporting obligations and e-invoicing
  2. VAT treatment of the platform economy
  3. Single EU VAT registration

The EC is expected to propose legislative amendments in the VAT Directive this autumn.

Conclusions on VAT reporting and e-invoicing pillar

The report focusing on VAT reporting and e-invoicing evaluates ‘Digital Reporting Requirements (DRR)’. This is any obligation for VAT taxable persons to periodically or continuously submit transaction data digitally to the tax authority, e.g. by use of SAF-T, VAT listing, real-time reporting or e-invoicing.

According to the report, the best policy choice would be the introduction of a DRR in the form of an EU-wide continuous transaction controls (CTC) e-invoicing system covering both intra-EU and domestic transactions. Member States with an existing e-invoicing system would be able to keep this in the short term via a standstill clause, provided they ensure interoperability with the new EU system. However, in the medium term of five to ten years, national e-invoicing systems would be required to converge to the EU system.

An EU-wide CTC e-invoicing system

The report clearly favours the policy option of a full EU harmonisation through a CTC e-invoicing system, meaning the invoice will be submitted to the authorities before or after issuance. The harmonisation focus seems to be primarily on form, with a suggestion of an EU-wide common protocol and format. Whereas important decisions regarding architecture risk being left to the Member States include whether the system will be clearance or simply reporting, whether to leverage an existing domestic B2G platform and the periodicity of the reporting etc. The only requirement on Member States seems to be accepting issued and transmitted e-invoices based on a common protocol and format.

The report suggests aligning the scope of requirements and excluding non-registered taxable persons and those covered by the SME VAT scheme. In the short term, only B2B and B2G transactions are covered, with B2C transactions remaining out of scope.

Finally, the report suggests that to ease the burden on businesses Member States must consider a number of measures such as jointly removing other reporting obligations, providing pre-filled VAT returns, supporting the investment in business automation (especially for SMEs) and providing public support to the adoption of the IT compliance systems

How this will be jointly coordinated isn’t discussed but it doesn’t sound like the EC expects such measures to be harmonised by the EU.

Future expectations

Although the report concludes implementing an EU-wide mandatory e-invoicing system is the best and most future-proof measure, how to design an effective e-invoicing system is not explained in the report and doesn’t seem to be in scope for harmonisation.

However, the design of the e-invoicing system may have an important impact on fiscal and economic results. As the independent expert report ʻNext Generation Model Decentralized CTC and Exchange’ (supported by EESPA, openPEPPOL and other key stakeholder groups) describes, the greatest benefits can only be realised when an e-invoicing system allows businesses to automate other processes as well as invoicing.

It’s a welcome start that the Commission is aiming for an EU-wide CTC e-invoicing scheme. It remains to be seen how effective this harmonisation will be. When Europe’s politicians return from this year’s summer break, we’ll start to gain more insight into the overall feasibility of the Commission’s views.

As a vendor that has implemented CTC and VAT compliance solutions around the world for several decades now, our desire would be for the debate to go beyond interoperability on a data level, so that Europe can take bold steps towards a future that preserves supply chain automation and technological innovation.

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To find out more about what we believe the future holds, download the 13th Annual Trends. Follow us on  LinkedIn  and  Twitter  to keep up-to-date with regulatory news and updates.

In India, the e-invoicing system has been live since 2020. Taxpayers in the scope of e-invoicing mandate must issue their invoices relating to B2B and B2G transactions through the e-invoicing system, which is a form of continuous transaction controls (CTC).

However, B2C invoices are not issued through the CTC system, which means that B2C invoices don’t pass through the Invoice Registry Portal’s (IRP) clearance. The Indian authorities have announced their goal to include B2C invoices in the scope of the CTC system although there is no timeline provided for that plan.

Meanwhile, there is a separate QR code requirement for B2C invoices. We explain why and when a QR code is required and how taxpayers can generate it:

The QR code’s purpose

The QR code requirement for B2C invoices aims to promote digital payments. In that respect, it differs from the QR code for B2B and B2G invoices which include the IRP’s signature. The latter serves as proof of clearance that B2B and B2G invoices must go through. Additionally, the QR code for B2C invoices must be self-generated, whereas the IRP generates the QR code content for B2B and B2G invoices (if the supplier is in the scope of e-invoicing).

When is a QR code required?

The QR code requirement doesn’t apply to all suppliers. As per the CBIC notification, F. No. CBEC-20/16/38/2020-GST, suppliers with annual revenue of 500 Cr. Rupees or more (from 2017-2018) must comply with the QR code requirement when issuing invoices to their end customers (B2C).

How is the QR code generated?

The QR code must be dynamic. Unlike static QR codes, the system will update the content of the dynamic QR code if the payment is received. Content-wise, businesses must include the following information:

  1. Supplier’s GSTIN number
  2. Supplier’s UPI ID
  3. Payee’s bank A/C number and IFSC
  4. Invoice number and invoice date
  5. Total invoice value
  6. GST amount along with breakup, i.e. CGST, SGST, IGST, CESS, etc.

After printing the QR code on the invoice, customers must be able to scan it to make payments. If the supply is made through an e-commerce platform, suppliers must give cross-references of the payment received in respect of the said supply on the invoice. Then the invoice would be deemed to have complied with the requirements of the Dynamic QR Code.

The Indian authorities are making significant progress with their efforts to digitize paper processes in the country by introducing a CTC invoicing system and encouraging digital payments. In line with their ambitions, we expect further digitization developments in the near future.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoicing requirements in India? Get in touch with Sovos’ tax experts.

As previously predicted by Sovos, the threshold for implementing mandatory e-invoicing has been lowered by the Indian authorities. According to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs Notification No. 17/2022 – Central Tax, from 1 October 2022 compliance with the e-invoicing rules will be mandatory for taxpayers with an annual threshold of 10 Cr. rupees (approximately 1.270.000 USD) or more.

Recap of India’s e-invoicing requirements

The Indian e-invoicing system falls under the category of continuous transaction controls (CTCs) under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework. The legal validity of the invoice is conditional based on the Invoice Registration Portal (IRP) digitally signing the invoice and providing an Invoice Registration Number (IRN). If the IRN is not included in an invoice, the invoice will not be legally valid.

The scope covers both domestic and cross-border transactions. The IRP clearance process is mandatory for B2B, B2G and export transactions. So, taxpayers in scope must issue their invoices (as well as other documents that need an IRN) according to the new system for all B2B, B2G or export transactions.

Taxpayers in scope of e-invoicing must generate e-waybills through the e-invoicing system. It is not possible to voluntarily adhere to the e-invoicing system. This means that taxpayers not satisfying the threshold limit cannot adopt CTC invoicing.

Implementation timeline

Before the initial introduction, the e-invoicing plan was announced by the Indian authorities as early as 2018. Afterwards, the evolvement of the plan has been as follows:

1 January 2020: Voluntary period of e-invoicing for businesses with a turnover of Rs.500 Crore or more

1 February 2020: Voluntary period of e-invoicing for businesses with a turnover of Rs.100 Crore or more

1 October 2020: Beginning of the mandatory e-invoicing period for businesses with a turnover of Rs.500 Crore or more (six months later than previously intended). For the first 30 days, there was a grace period during which invoices could be reported after they had been issued.

1 January 2021: Beginning of the mandatory e-invoicing period for businesses with a turnover of Rs.100 Crore or more.

1 April 2021: Threshold for mandatory e-invoicing lowered to taxpayers with turnover between Rs. 100 Crore to Rs. 50 Crore.

1 April 2022: Threshold lowered from Rs. 50 Crore to Rs. 20 Crore. Taxpayers above Rs. 20 Crore must implement e-invoicing.

1 October 2022: Threshold will be lowered from Rs. 20 Crore to Rs. 10 Crore. Taxpayers above Rs. 10 Crore must implement e-invoicing.

What’s next for e-invoicing in India?

Some changes concerning the e-invoicing workflow are expected. Currently, there is a single platform (IRP) for the clearance process but multiple IRPs will be introduced soon. The Indian Authorities have already approved new IRPs, demonstrating that the authorities wish to have an interoperable e-invoicing market and are moving ahead with their plans to realise their goals.

Additionally, B2C invoices are not currently covered by the IRP clearance, yet the authorities have announced their intention to include those in scope of their CTC system.

India is a challenging jurisdiction for many taxpayers; businesses must have smart digitization and maintenance strategies to stay compliant. The benefits of digitization can be realised through a global strategy that businesses might put in place.

Since 1 January 2019 foreign electronic service providers must issue electronic invoices, a type of e-invoice, for sales of electronic services to individual buyers in Taiwan. Alongside this, Taiwan’s local tax authorities have been introducing incentives for domestic taxpayers to implement e-invoicing despite not being a mandatory requirement.

Before diving into the details of the e-invoicing system in Taiwan, we’ll discuss the Government Uniform Invoice (GUI), which the e-invoicing system is based on Government Uniform Invoices.

What is a Government Uniform Invoice (GUI)?

The government uniform invoice is a standard VAT invoice governed and pre-numbered by the tax authorities in Taiwan. All business entities must issue GUIs for all sales of goods and services subject to VAT, except for any legal exemptions.

Taxpayers can issue GUIs once following business registration approval by the local competent tax authority in Taiwan. Taxpayers can issue different types of GUIs including paper-based GUIs and Electronic Government Uniform Invoices (eGUIs) as well.

What is an eGUI?

eGUIs are a type of GUI issued, transmitted, or obtained via the internet or other electronic means.

Issuing an eGUI is mandatory for foreign electronic service providers who sell electronic services to individuals in Taiwan as of 1 January 2019. However, issuing eGUIs for B2B, B2C and B2G transactions is optional for the broader economy, including domestic taxpayers in Taiwan.

How are eGUIs issued?

Business entities in Taiwan must use a sequential track number called the electronic invoice track number (eGUI number for short) in their electronic invoices. Business entities must apply to the local tax authority to have eGUI numbers assigned.

The e-invoice issuance process requires the use of these eGUI numbers and must comply with MIG 3.2.1 based on an XML format provided by the tax authority.

Following the issuance of an electronic uniform invoice, businesses have 48 hours to upload the invoice information to the tax authority platform for B2C transactions and seven days for B2B transactions This model is known as continuous transaction controls (CTCs), whereby the tax authorities receive transactional information from taxpayers in real time or near-real time.

Business entities can appoint a certified e-invoicing service provider, also known as value-added centers, to issue and transmit uniform invoices electronically.

What’s next for Taiwan’s tax system?

Taiwanese authorities have encouraged electronic invoicing for many years. As a result, more and more businesses have started issuing eGUIs.

The requirement to issue e-invoices for foreign electronic service providers has played an important role in the widespread adoption of e-invoicing throughout the country. While it’s clear Taiwan has come a long way in terms of the digitalization of e-invoicing processes, paper-based invoices can still be issued according to Taiwanese regulations.

We’ll monitor developments in the future to see whether the mandatory implementation of e-invoicing will be extended to the broader economy in Taiwan.

Need more information about Taiwain e-invoicing?

Need to issue GUIs electronically in Taiwan? To comply with tax authority requirements in Taiwan and around the world, contact us now.

Latest Changes

1 July begins the second half of 2022, and in line with that milestone, changes have started to be implemented in the CTC sphere. In this blog, we highlight vital developments that have taken place in and outside Europe that may influence the continuous transaction controls (CTC) landscape globally.

The Philippines: Pilot program

The Philippines has officially implemented its mandatory continuous transaction controls (CTC system, which consists of the near-real-time transmission of electronically issued invoices and receipts. On 1 July 2022, the Philippines tax authority launched the Electronic Receipt, Invoice and Sales Reporting System (EIS) pilot program.

This initiative was first introduced in 2018 by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, known as TRAIN law. 100 selected pilot taxpayers are now obliged to issue and transmit e-invoices/receipts to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through the EIS platform. (Philippines Advances Towards Mandatory CTC Reporting | Sovos)

Romania: E-Factura system and E-Transport system

Romania has been taking steps toward implementing its continuous transaction controls (CTC system since 2021. As of 1 July 2022, Romanian taxpayers are required to use the CTC e-invoicing system e-Factura for the supply of high-fiscal risk products in B2B transactions and all B2G transactions. Suppliers must transmit structured invoices issued in XML format to the E-Factura system. Subsequently, the seal will be applied by the Ministry of Finance as proof of clearance. Such invoice will be legally valid under the Romanian regulation. (Romania: Questions Remain as Deadline Looms | Sovos)

Alongside the 1 July 2022 go live for the CTC e-invoicing mandate, the e-transport system has been introduced to monitor high-fiscal-risk goods transported domestically. Taxpayers must issue an e-transport document before certain goods are transported. Moreover, taxpayers must send files to the tax authorities in XML format. Based on Act No. 106 issued by the Romanian government on 30 June 2022 and the change of Articles 13 and 14 of GEO, the fines for non-compliance with the e-transport requirements will not be effective until 1 October 2022. Also, starting from 1 July 2022, SAFT began to apply to large taxpayers as the penalty grace period has ended.

Vietnam: CTC Mandate

On the list of countries expanding their e-invoicing requirements is also Vietnam, where the issuance of e-invoices became mandatory for all taxable persons operating in Vietnam as of 1 July 2022. Previously, the expected deadline was 1 November 2020, but the tax authority extended it due to the difficulties encountered by local companies to implement on time a compliant e-invoice solution.

Moreover, enterprises, economic organisations, other organisations, business households and individuals must register with the local tax administration to use e-invoices according to the rules established in Decree 123. (Vietnam: E-invoicing Roll-Out in July 2022 | Sovos).

Portugal – B2G invoicing postponement

Mandatory B2G invoicing has been postponed for small, medium, and microenterprises with the enactment of  Law Decree 42-A/2022. The initial date was 1 July 2022. Now, the B2G e-invoicing is going to be mandatory from 1 January 2023. The reason for this change is that, after extending the deadline for acceptance of electronic invoices in PDF until 31 December 2022, the Portuguese government considered it important to also extend the deadline for receiving and processing B2G electronic invoices for micro, small and medium-sized companies until 31 December 2022 (Portugal: Mandatory B2G invoicing for SME’s postponed again | Sovos)

Turkey, South Korea and Italy: Expansions of existing mandates

In Turkey, the tax authority expanded the scope of taxpayers required to use e-fatura, e-arsiv and e-waybill applications. This expansion was done by either adding new sector-based mandates or decreasing the annual revenue threshold. The new requirements became applicable recently, and the taxpayers in the scope of the changes started using e-documents as of 1 July 2022. (Turkey Expands Scope of E-Documents (sovos.com)

In South Korea, e-invoicing has been mandatory for all corporate businesses since 2011. An issued e-tax invoice must be transmitted to the National Tax Service (NTS) within one day of the invoice being issued. The current change concerns the threshold limit for individual businesses, which from 1 July 2022 has been lowered to KRW 200,000,000.

Italy has also entered another phase of implementing its CTC requirements. Starting with cross-border invoices, the Esterometro (the report of cross-border invoices) has been replaced with the transmission of cross-border invoice data to the SDI in a FatturaPA format from 1 July 2022. Additionally, the recently published Decree n.73 established a threshold for the cross-border invoice reporting mandate. Taxpayers are only required to report transactions that exceed the amount of EUR 5,000 for every single operation. This applies, more specifically, to purchases of goods and services not territorially relevant for VAT purposes in Italy, under Articles 7 to 7-octies of Presidential Decree 633/1972.

Moreover, e-invoicing through the SDI became mandatory from 1 July 2022 for taxpayers applying the flat-rate VAT regime (regime forfettario), as well as amateur sports associations and third sector entities with revenue up to EUR 65,000. Lastly, e-invoicing became mandatory between Italy and San Marino from 1 July 2022. The system for e-invoice exchange between Italy and SM will leverage the SDI as the access point for Italian taxpayers and a new, comparable hub for companies in San Marino.

Many countries around the world are either introducing or expanding their existing CTC Regimes with the active changes taking place globally. Sovos continues to monitor which countries are next on the list to build its local CTC regimes and comply with the international standards.

Take Action

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The Philippines continuous transaction controls (CTC) Electronic Invoicing/Receipting System (EIS) has been officially kicked off for the 100 large taxpayers selected by the government to inaugurate the mandate. Although taxpayers were still struggling to meet the new e-invoicing system’s technical requirements just before the go-live date, the Philippines upheld its planned deadline and went live with this pilot on 1 July 2022.

The Philippines roll-out has once again highlighted the challenges of complying with new mandates and shown that readiness is vital.

Together with one of the six initial pilot companies, which started testing early this year, Sovos has developed the first software solution to obtain approval by the EIS to operate e-invoice transmission through the government’s transmission platform. Sovos’ solution is up and running in the Philippines.

Release of new regulations

One day before the EIS go-live, the Philippines tax authority, BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), published Revenue Regulations n. 6-20228-2022, and 9-2022, containing the new system’s policies and guidelines and documenting the rules and procedures adopted by the EIS.

While the regulations do not represent news for pilot taxpayers who have successfully implemented their CTC e-invoice reporting systems, the same might not be accurate for those preparing to comply with the new mandate. The legislation officially establishes the country’s e-invoice/receipt issuance and reporting initiative, first introduced in 2018 by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN), and documents relevant information.

Who needs to comply?

As of 1 July 2022, 100 selected pilot taxpayers have been obliged to issue and transmit e-invoices and e-receipts through the EIS. The BIR is planning a phased roll-out for other taxpayers within the scope of the mandate, starting in 2023, but no official calendar has been announced yet.

Taxpayers covered by the mandate are:

The mandate requires electronic issuance of invoices (B2B), receipts (B2C), debit and credit notes and transmission through the EIS platform in near real-time, that is, in up to three (3) calendar days counted from issuance date. Documents must be transmitted using the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) file format.

Issuing and transmitting

Issuance and transmission can be done through the EIS taxpayer portal or using API (Application Programming Interface), in which taxpayers must develop a Sales Data Transmission System and secure certification before operating through the EIS. This entails the application for the EIS Certification and a Permit to Transmit (PTT) by submitting documentation with detailed information about the taxpayer’s system.

Although the regulations state that the submission of printed invoices and receipts is no longer required for taxpayers operating under the EIS, archiving requirements have not been modified. This means that during the 10-year archiving period, taxpayers must retain hard copies of transmitted documents for the first five (5) years, after which exclusive electronic storage is allowed for the remaining time.

Additionally, the legislation states that only the invoices successfully transmitted through the EIS will be accepted for VAT deduction purposes.

Taxpayers were not ready to comply

Many of the 100 pilot taxpayers struggled to comply with the country’s deadline. For this reason, the EIS has allowed alternations to the deadline for certain taxpayers, provided they submit a Sworn Statement detailing the reasons why they are not able to meet the requirement on time and a schedule with the date they intend to comply by, which are subject to the EIS’ approval.

Regarding non-compliance, the regulations state that the tax authority shall impose a penalty for delayed or non-transmission of e-invoices/receipts to the EIS and that unreported sales will be subject to further investigation.

What’s next?

After the pilot program kick-off and legally establishing the CTC framework, the government plans to gradually roll out the mandate to all taxpayers included in the scope in 2023. However, taxpayers who are not in the mandatory scope of the EIS may already opt to enrol in the system and be ready to comply beforehand.

Sovos was the first software provider to become certified, in conjunction with one of the pilot taxpayers, to transmit through the EIS, and is ready to comply with the Philippines CTC e-invoice reporting. Our powerful software combined with our extensive knowledge of the Philippines tax landscape helps companies solve tax for good.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoicing requirements in the Philippines? Speak with a member of Sovos’ team of tax experts

On 1 January every year, taxpayers operating in Peru must assess their monthly income over a certain period determined by law to verify if they fall under the obligation to keep electronic ledgers. Taxpayers above the established threshold or who wish to voluntarily keep their ledgers electronically may do so by using the Electronic Ledgers Program (Programa de Libros Electrónicos – PLE), which covers all electronic books, or through the System of Electronic Ledgers (Sistema de Libros Electrónicos Portal – SLE), exclusively for the records of sales and purchases.

Earlier this year, however, the Peruvian tax authority (SUNAT) approved a new system specifically for the records of sales and purchases, the Integrated System of Electronic Records (Sistema Integrado de Registros Electrónicos – SIRE). Through the new Resolution 40-2022/SUNAT, the Electronic Record of Purchases (Registro de Compras Electrónico – RCE) was introduced, a module similar to the Electronic Record of Sales and Earnings (Registro de Ventas e Ingresos Eletrónicos – RVIE) created in 2021 and already in use by taxpayers.

The two modules, RVIE and RCE, compose the SIRE. This new system will be rolled out gradually, starting in October 2022, obliging taxpayers to migrate from the PLE and SLE to generate their records of sales and purchases exclusively through SIRE while maintaining the PLE for other ledgers.

How the SIRE works

The primary purpose of the SIRE is to simplify the generation of records of sales and purchases for taxpayers. Through the SIRE, a proposal for the RVIE and the RCE is automatically generated. It is available from the 2nd calendar day of every month. The taxpayer may accept, modify or replace it with the information they wish to present to SUNAT. If there are no transactions during the monthly period, the taxpayer must still submit a blank file to SUNAT.

Under the current systems (PLE and SLE), SUNAT doesn’t generate a proposal; the taxpayer enters all sales and purchases information and generates the records. With the SIRE, however, SUNAT uses information from its Electronic Invoice System (Sistema de Emisión Eletrónica – SEE) to create a proposal of the RVIE and RCE, which the taxpayer submits in each declaration period. The record is updated daily with the information received on the previous day.

The RCE has certain peculiarities compared with the RVIE, already in use. The RCE requires the generation of two separate files, the records of domestic and cross-border purchases. Even if no cross-border transactions are carried out, a blank RCE must still be submitted to SUNAT. Additionally, taxpayers may exclude specific purchase invoices and include them in the RCE at any time for 12 months from the invoice issuance date.

After the taxpayer’s revision, the RVIE and RCE are filed in conjunction, and a receipt status message (Constancia de Recepcion), containing relevant information, is delivered to the taxpayer’s electronic mailbox.

The SIRE can be accessed through the SUNAT portal, using the SIRE application installed on the taxpayer’s computer or through SUNAT’s API web service.

What changes for taxpayers?

Once taxpayers become obliged to the exclusive maintenance of sales and purchase records through the SIRE, they must discontinue keeping such records in the PLE, SLE or paper ledgers. However, because the SIRE covers the RVIE and RCE exclusively, taxpayers will still need to maintain the PLE, which contains all other ledgers.

This means taxpayers must be aware of the distinct set of rules applied to the PLE and the SIRE. An example is that the SIRE allows modification of an already “closed” record from a previous period without waiting until the next period, as with the PLE and SLE. In the SIRE, adjustments can be made at any time using the different annexes provided by SUNAT, with no limitations on the year the record was generated.

Another significant change is that taxpayers will no longer have to store, file and preserve electronic records since SUNAT will do this for them.

Gradual roll-out of the SIRE

Implementation of the SIRE will happen gradually, according to the following schedule:

Taxpayers may also start using the SIRE voluntarily if they are obliged to keep the Records of Sales and Purchases and are enrolled in the SUNAT operations portal (clave SOL), according to the following calendar:

What’s next for the SIRE?

Resolution 40-2022/SUNAT becomes effective on 1 October 2022. However, because most companies in Peru are already obliged to keep Records of Sales and Purchases, the largest groups of taxpayers must be ready to comply with the new mandate starting 1 January 2023.

Take Action

Speak to our team if you have any questions about the latest tax requirements in Peru. Sovos has more than a decade of experience keeping clients up to date with e-invoicing mandates all over the world.