Update: 30 May 2024 by Dilara İnal

Implementation waves of Phase 2 of E-invoicing in Saudi Arabia

Implementation of Phase 2 of Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing initiative started in January 2023 with the first wave of taxpayers. Subsequent waves – which are announced by Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) – are based on the generated revenue subject to VAR in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to announcements on ZATCA’s website, ZATCA notifies taxpayers at least six months before the enforcement date of their new e-invoicing requirements.

Current timeline for Phase 2 waves

Waves dictate when taxpayers of particular revenue statures are required to take part in Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing program. The table below details the waves, revenue threshold and applicable dates for the initiative’s second phase.

Waves Threshold (Annual taxable revenue) Integration date
Wave 1 3 billion Riyals (approx. USD 800m) for 2021 1 January 2023
Wave 2 500m Riyals (approx. USD 133m) for 2021 1 July 2023
Wave 3 250m Riyals (approx. USD 66m) in 2021 or 2022 1 October 2023
Wave 4 150m Riyals (approx. USD 39m) in 2021 or 2022 1 November 2023
Wave 5 100m Riyals (approx. USD 26m) in 2021 or 2022 1 December 2023
Wave 6 70m Riyals (approx. USD 18m) in 2021 or 2022 1 January 2024
Wave 7 50m Riyals (approx. USD 13m) in 2021 or 2022 1 February 2024
Wave 8 40m Riyals (approx. USD 10m) in 2021 or 2022 1 March 2024
Wave 9 30m Riyals (approx. USD 8m) in 2021 or 2022 1 June 2024
Wave 10 25m Riyals (approx. USD 6m) in 2022 or 2023 1 October 2024
Wave 11 15m Riyals (approx. USD 4m) in 2022 or 2023 1 November 2024
Wave 12 10m Riyals (approx. USD 2.6m) in 2022 or 2023 1 December 2024

Read our overview for more information regarding Saudi Arabia’s push towards e-invoicing.

 

Update: 20 January 2023 by Dilara İnal

Voluntary participation in Phase 2

Taxpayers now have the option to start complying with the Phase 2 requirements on a voluntary basis before the integration enforcement date arrives.

Companies were previously not allowed to voluntarily start the implementation of Phase 2. ZATCA changed its approach to voluntary participation in December 2022.

Looking for further clarification on Phase 2 of Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing system? Contact our experts now.

 

Update: 24 October 2022 by Dilara Inal

Upcoming phase 2 requirements for e-invoicing in Saudi Arabia

Phase 2 of Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing system rollout is fast approaching. See below for details about the timeline and the requirements for the integration stage of implementation.

Rollout and timeline of Phase 2

Implementation will begin in January 2023 and taxpayers will need to issue and submit e-invoices in a specific format.

Phase 2 is planned as a gradual implementation. The first wave of implementation covers taxpayers with an annual turnover of 3 billion riyals (approximately 800 million USD) or more for the 2021 period.

Taxpayers who are in the scope of the first wave are notified by the tax and customs authority (ZATCA) about their obligations under Phase 2 – these obligations start six months after this notification, even though the official date has been announced as 1 January 2023.

The second wave of taxpayers are businesses with revenue subject to VAT which exceed half a billion riyals during 2021. Taxpayers in this group will be notified during the first six months of 2023 and their Phase 2 obligations start six months after this notification. The second wave of Phase 2 will be implemented during the period of 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023.

Integration phase requirements

Firstly, all invoices must be issued in UBL 2.1 format. B2B invoices are subject to a CTC clearance regime, whilst B2C invoices are reported to the tax authority within 24 hours.

Under the new regime, B2B invoices can only be sent to the buyer after the tax authority’s approval which gives legal validity to invoices.

Each invoice must be generated in a single sequence and include a hash value computed from previous invoices’ elements. This hash function ensures that invoice data isn’t modified or tampered with.

Also, an invoice counter value and a globally unified identification number (UUID) must be included. The QR code is generated by ZATCA during the clearance of an invoice, and it must be shown in case B2B and B2G invoices are sent to the buyer in human-readable form. For B2C invoices, the QR Code is generated and applied by the taxpayer during issuance of the invoice. In addition, self-billing is permitted for domestic B2B transactions and the invoice must contain a statement declaring it is self-billed.

Taxpayers who are yet to be notified by ZATCA for phase 2 implementation should continue to comply with phase 1 requirements without any change.

How to prepare for the changes

We advise all taxpayers to follow upcoming updates to ensure they are prepared for phase 2’s complex requirements. Considering the impact of this CTC regime, other e-invoicing initiatives are expected to be implemented in the Gulf region in the near future

Still have questions about Saudi Arabia’s e-invoicing phase 2 implementation? Speak to our tax experts.

 

Update: 30 May 2022 by Selin Adler Ring

ZATCA launches e-invoicing developer portal for e-invoicing phase 2

Saudi Arabia´s e-invoicing system is being rolled out in two phases; the second phase’s requirements differ from the first phase. The first phase started as of 4 December 2021 for all resident taxable persons. The second phase will go live on 1 January 2023, and the impacted taxpayer group has not yet been announced. However, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has made considerable progress in kicking off phase 2.

Launch of the e-invoicing portal

Phase 2 will introduce a Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC) regime in which e-invoices, electronic credit and debit notes will be transmitted to the ZATCA platform in real-time. A clearance regime is prescribed for B2B invoices, while B2C invoices must be reported to the tax authority platform within 24 hours of issuance. Therefore, ZATCA was expected to introduce its e-invoicing platform well in advance of the launch of phase 2.

As expected, the ZATCA recently announced the launch of an E-Invoicing Developer Portal (Sandbox). Users will use the Sandbox to simulate the integration with ZATCA’s platform and can access details on the APIs and other requirements through this platform upon registration.

Proposed changes to e-invoicing rules

ZATCA has proposed specific changes to e-invoicing rules. The proposed changes are under public consultation and interested parties may submit their feedback until 10 June 2022.

The changes aim to clarify some requirements (e.g. Cryptographic Stamp, hash, counter etc.) rather than introducing new ones.

The next steps

The last clarifying changes to the e-invoicing rules are underway, and the developer portal has been launched. We’re now expecting ZATCA’s announcement of the taxpayer groups in the scope of the mandate and expect it to happen at least six months before the go-live date. As the ZATCA plans to roll out phase 2, there will be different timelines for different taxpayer groups. We expect this information within the coming months.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest CTC requirements in Saudi Arabia? Get in touch with Sovos’ team of tax experts.

Update: 29 February 2024 by Inês Carvalho

Since January 2023, Romania‘s mandatory e-transport system has monitored the transport of certain goods in the national territory. The e-transport system operates in parallel with Romania’s e-invoicing system.

This blog answers frequently asked questions about Romania’s e-transport system including what and who is in scope, document format and fines for non-compliance.

What transportation is in scope?

From January 2023, the Romanian e-transport system monitors the transport of high fiscal risk goods on the national territory.

Transportation in scope includes:

In addition to the transportation type, the categories of road vehicles in scope are as follows:

  1. Road vehicles with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of at least 3.5 tons, and
  2. Loaded with high fiscal risk goods with a total gross mass of a minimum of 500 kg or a total value of more than 10,000 Leu (appx. €2,000)

Transportation of high fiscal risk goods that don’t fall within this scope do not need to be declared in Romania’s e-transport system.

The carriage of goods intended for diplomatic missions, consular posts, international organisations, the armed forces of foreign NATO Member States or as a result of the execution of contracts, are not in the scope of the RO e-Transport system.

From December 15th, 2023, the scope of the e-transport mandate was expanded to include the international transport of all goods. Whilst the change was effective immediately, there is a grace period in place until 1 July 2024, after which, penalties will be imposed.

What are the high fiscal risk products that must be declared in Romania’s e-transport system?

Romania’s National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) established a list of high fiscal risk products using the same criteria as the e-invoicing system (E-Factura), with a few differences.

The product categories of high fiscal risk products for the e-transport system are:

  1. Vegetables, plants, roots and tubers, foodstuffs
  2. Edible fruits; peel of citrus fruits or melons
  3. Beverages, spirits, and vinegar
  4. Salt; sulfur; earths and stones; plaster, lime, and cement
  5. Knitted or crocheted garments and clothing accessories
  6. Clothing and clothing accessories, other than knitted or crocheted
  7. Footwear, gaiters
  8. Cast iron, iron, and steel

If the transportation includes both goods with high fiscal risk and goods outside the high fiscal risk category, transportation must be declared in the Romanian e-transport system.

How does the Romanian e-transport system work?

Romania’s e-transport system is operational through the Virtual Private Space (SPV), the tax authority portal used for tax purposes, including the Romanian e-invoicing system. The e-transport system can be used through an API or a free application provided by the Ministry of Finance.

Who is required to report to the e-transport platform in Romania?

The entities required to report transport data in the e-transport platform are as follows:

  1. the importer mentioned in the customs import declaration;
  2. the exporter mentioned in the customs export declaration;
  3. the recipient in Romania, in case of intra-community acquisitions of goods;
  4. the supplier in Romania, in case of domestic transactions (high fiscal risk products only) or intra-community supplies of goods;
  5. the depositary, in the case of goods subject to intra-community transactions in transit, both for goods unloaded in Romania for storage or to create a new consignment from one or more consignments of goods, and for goods loaded after storage or after the formation of a new consignment on the national territory from one or more consignments of goods.

What information needs to be sent to the RO e-transport system?

The declarant must submit an XML format file following the official schema including the following:

What are the fines for non-compliance with the e-transport system in Romania?

Noncompliance with the e-transport system rules will result in a fine reaching RON 50,000 (approx. €10,000) for individuals and RON 100,000 (approx. €20,000) for legal persons. In addition, the value of undeclared goods will be confiscated.

Concerning the international transport of goods, other than goods falling under the ‘high fiscal risk’ category, fines will only apply from July 2024, after the established grace period ends.

Automating RO e-transport reporting

Stay on top of your obligations with Sovos. Map, clear, correct, confirm and delete outbound eWaybill and much more with our specialist solution.

The real key to compliance is looking beyond today; if you know what’s coming, you can always be prepared. Sovos is your ideal compliance partner for the present and the future – both in Romania and anywhere else you do business – providing a single, global solution. Speak with our experts to ensure you are on the right side of risk. Also, there are other obligations that require attention in Romania – including general VAT Compliance in Romania and the Romanian SAF-T mandate but at Sovos we’ve got you covered.

Lithuania’s VAT Requirements

Lithuania’s SAF-T Mandates Framework

Seeking to modernise and digitize its tax systems, the Lithuanian Customs Office of the State Tax Inspectorate announced sweeping changes to its tax system in 2016 with the introduction of the Standard Audit File for Tax (SAF‑T) and the launch of its online portal, eSaskaita.

Have questions? Get in touch with a Sovos Lithuania SAF-T mandates expert.

SAF-T mandates

SAF-T mandates

Implemented with a phased approach, Lithuania’s SAF‑T mandate became mandatory for all taxpayers in 2020. Whilst there is no periodic SAF‑T reporting, businesses must maintain records for the tax authorities in the event they are requested.

Quick facts on SAF-T mandates

  • E-invoices must be accepted provided its integrity and authenticity can be guaranteed from the point of issuance until the end of the storage period.
  • If an invoice is in electronic form, data ensuring its integrity and authenticity must be stored by electronic means.
  • Suppliers may submit documentation by:
    • Using any certified PEPPOL Access Point with an AS4 Profile
    • Manually keying in the invoice information via an online portal
    • Uploading files in XML format (this requires the economic operator’s accounting system to be suitable for storing e-invoices in this format).
SAF-T mandates
SAF-T mandates
  • Service providers to Lithuanian taxable persons not established in an EU Member State must comply with certain additional requirements regarding the outsourcing of e-invoice issuance.
  • The i.MAS, Lithuania’s “Intelligent Tax Administration System,” comprises three main parts:
    • i.SAF reporting of sales and purchase invoices on a monthly basis
    • i.VAZ reporting of transport/consignment documents
    • i.SAF-T accounting transaction report, which is only required when requested by the tax authority.
  • Full SAF-T files are only submitted upon request of the Lithuanian tax authority.

SAF-T mandates rollout dates

  • 1 Oct 2016 – Requirement to submit data on issued and received VAT invoices began
  • 2016 -2019 – Phased rollout of SAF‑T requirements to Lithuanian businesses dependant on revenue
  • Jan 2020 – All businesses required to comply with SAF‑T mandate
  • 2021 – Management and archiving of documents, including invoices, became a licensed activity and must meet certain requirements for integrity, authenticity, security and management to be certified by the Lithuanian Chief Archivist
SAF-T mandates
Infographic

Lithuania’s SAF-T Requirements

Understand more about Lithuania SAF-T including when to comply, submission deadlines, filing requirements and how Sovos can help.

How can Sovos help with SAF-T mandates and VAT compliance?

Need help to ensure your business stays compliant with the SAF‑T obligations in Lithuania?

Our experts continually monitor, interpret and codify changes into our software, reducing the compliance burden on your tax and IT teams.

Learn how Sovos’ solution for Lithuanian SAF‑T and other VAT compliance changes can help companies stay compliant.

The global trend in the e-invoicing sphere for the past decade has shown that legislators and local tax authorities worldwide are rethinking the invoice creation process. By introducing technologically sophisticated continuous transaction control (CTC) platforms tax authorities get immediate and detailed control over VAT, which has proven a very efficient way to reduce the VAT gap.

However, many common law countries, that don’t have a VAT system, including the United States, Australia and New Zealand, haven’t followed the same path. They have stood out in international comparisons by providing little regulation in the field of e-invoicing. The reason why there is no need to have control over the invoices is the lack of a VAT tax regime. Recent developments, however, indicate that also common law countries try to spur e-invoicing, driven by the business process efficiencies rather than the need for tax control. Accordingly, the upcoming developments will be addressed in this blog, focusing on the Unites States e-invoicing pilot program and the Australian and New Zealand initiatives to promote e-invoicing.

United States

E-invoicing has been permitted for a very long time in the United States but is still not widespread business practice. According to some sources, e-invoicing currently only amounts to 25% of all invoices exchanged in the country. With the introduction of the Business Payments Coalition (BPC) e-invoicing pilot program in cooperation with the Federal Reserve, this may be about to change.

The BPC’s e-Invoice Exchange Market Pilot aims to promote faster B2B communication and provide an opportunity for all kinds of businesses to exchange e-invoices in the US.

The BPC e-Invoice Exchange Market Pilot

The pilot program is a standardised e-invoicing network across which structured e-invoices can be exchanged between counterparties using various interoperable invoicing systems to connect and exchange documents. It’s intended to drive efficiency and productivity while reducing data errors. A federated registry services model enables authorised administrators or registrars to register and onboard participants into the e-invoice exchange framework.

The e-invoice exchange framework operates similarly to the email ecosystem. Users can sign up with an email provider to send and receive emails. The provider serves as an access point to email exchanges for their users and delivers emails between them over the internet. It allows multiple registrars to register participants within the e-invoice exchange framework. This is reminiscent of the globally established PEPPOL model, which standardizes the structure of an invoice as well as provides a framework for interoperability.

Future vision

The US is following the European e-invoicing model based on open interoperability functionality. It enables parties using various invoicing systems to connect and exchange documents through the e-invoicing network easily. The digitization process in the e-invoicing sphere will enable large and small organisations in the US to save resources, promote sustainability and provide business efficiency.

Australia and New Zealand

Similarly, to the US, the move towards e-invoicing in Australia and New Zealand is not primarily driven by tax issues but process efficiency. Neither country has any plans concerning a traditional B2B e-invoicing mandate. However, the New Zealand and Australian governments have committed to a joint approach to e-invoicing, and the first steps are ensuring that all government entities can receive e-invoices.

Australia

In Australia, all commonwealth government agencies must be able to receive PEPPOL e-invoices from 1 July 2022. Moreover, the government also seeks to boost e-invoicing in the B2B space without the traditional mandate for businesses to invoice electronically. Instead, the proposal is to implement what is referred to as Business e-Invoicing Right (BER).

Under the government’s proposal, businesses would have the right to request that their trading parties send an e-invoice over the PEPPOL network instead of traditional paper invoices. Businesses need to set up their systems to be able to receive PEPPOL e-invoices. Once a business has this capability, it would be able to exercise its ‘right’ and request other companies to send them PEPPOL e-invoices.

This reform is expected to be introduced in July 2023, by which businesses will be able to request to receive PEPPOL e-invoices only from large businesses, followed by a staged roll-out to eventually cover all businesses by 1 July 2025.

New Zealand

Following the Australian e-invoicing reform from July 2022 for the B2G sector, the New Zealand Government is encouraging businesses and government agencies to adopt e-invoicing. One step in this direction is the possibility for all central government agencies to be able to receive e-invoices based on PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 since 31 March 2022.

Outside of these B2G requirements, there are currently no published plans to move the full economy to mandatory e-invoicing.

To find out more about what we believe the future holds, download Trends 13th Edition.

Take Action

Need help ensuring your business stays updated on the changes in the US, Australia and New Zealand e-invoicing systems? Get in touch with our team of experts to learn how Sovos’ solutions can help.

The Italian government has taken important steps to broaden the scope of its e-invoicing mandate, more specifically by widening the scope of taxpayers subject to electronic invoice issuance and clearance obligations, starting 1 July 2022.

On 13 April 2022, the draft Law-Decree, known as the second part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Decreto Legge PNRR 2 – Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza), was approved by the Italian Council of Ministers (Consiglio dei ministri).

The Italian government-approved National Recovery Plan is part of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), an instrument created to assist Member States financially in recovering from the economic and social challenges raised by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The expansion of Italy’s e-invoicing mandate is one element of the government’s anti-tax evasion package and addresses, in particular, the advancement of digital transformation, one of the six pillars of the RRF.

New taxpayers in scope

The draft Law-Decree PNRR 2 expands the obligation to issue and clear electronic invoices through the Italian clearance platform Sistema di Intercambio (SDI) to certain VAT taxpayers exempt from the mandate thus far. This means that from 1 July 2022, the following additional taxpayers are obliged to comply with the Italian e-invoicing mandate:

The regime forfettario is available to taxpayers who fulfil specific requirements, allowing them to adopt a reduced flat-rate VAT regime of 15%, decreased to 5% for new businesses during the first five years. These taxpayers have, up until now, been exempt from the obligation to issue e-invoices and clear them through the SDI, according to Legislative Decree 127 of 5 August 2015.

Additionally, amateur sports associations and third sector entities with revenue up to EUR 65,000 who have also been exempt from the e-invoicing mandate, are included as new subjects. Starting 1 July 2022, e-invoicing will also become mandatory for them.

The mandate still excludes microenterprises with revenues or fees up to EUR 25,000 per year, which instead will be required to issue and clear e-invoices with the SDI starting in 2024.

Short grace period introduced

The draft decree also established a short transitional grace period from 1 July 2022 until 30 September 2022. During this time taxpayers subject to the new mandate are allowed to issue e-invoices within the following month when the transaction was carried out, without being subject to any penalties. This gives the new subjects time to conform to the general rule stating electronic invoices must be issued within 12 days from the transaction date.

What’s next?

The definitive text of the decree has not yet been published in the Italian Official Gazette; only once this final step is taken will the decree formally become law, and the extended scope become binding. The start of the second semester of this year brings additional significant changes in Italy concerning the mandatory reporting of cross-border invoices through FatturaPA, also set to begin on 1 July 2022.

Take Action

Need help ensuring your business stays compliant with evolving e-invoicing obligations in Italy? Contact our team of experts to learn how Sovos’ solutions for changing e-invoicing obligations can help you stay compliant.

The Philippines continues in constant advance towards implementing its continuous transaction controls (CTC) system, which consists of near real-time reporting of electronically issued invoices and receipts. On 4 April, testing began in the Electronic Invoicing System (EIS), the government’s platform, with six companies selected as pilots for this project.

The initial move toward a CTC system in the Philippines started in 2018 with the introduction of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act, known as TRAIN law, which has the primary objective of simplifying the country’s tax system by making it more progressive, fair, and efficient. The project for implementing a mandatory nationwide electronic invoicing and reporting system has been developed in close collaboration with the South Korean government, considered a successful model with its comprehensive and seasoned CTC system.

Electronic invoicing and reporting are among many components set forth by the TRAIN law as part of the country’s DX Vision 2030 Digital Transformation Program. With this, the Philippines is making headway toward modernising its tax system.

Introduction of mandatory e-reporting in the Philippines

The Philippines CTC system requires the issuance of invoices (B2B) and receipts (B2C) in electronic form and their near real-time reporting to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the national tax authority. The EIS offers different possibilities in terms of submission, meaning that transmission can be done in real-time or near real-time. Documents that must be electronically issued and reported include sales invoices, receipts, and credit/debit notes.

According to the Philippines Tax Code, the following taxpayers are covered by the upcoming mandate:

However, taxpayers not covered by the obligation may opt to enroll with the EIS for e-invoice/e-receipt reporting purposes

E-invoices must be issued in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format and contain an electronic signature. After issuance, taxpayers can present their invoices and receipts to their customers. The tax authority´s approval is not needed to proceed. However, electronic documents must be transmitted to the EIS platform in real-time or near real-time.

E-archiving requirements

The Philippines introduced somewhat unusual requirements in this period of digitization, when it comes to e-invoice archiving. The preservation period is ten years and consists of a system in which taxpayers are obliged to retain hard copies for the first five years. After this first period, hard copies are no longer required, and exclusive storage of electronic copies in an e-archive is permitted for the remaining five years.

What’s next for taxpayers?

With tests officially underway, the next phase should begin on 1 July 2022, with the go-live for 100 pilot taxpayers selected by the government, including the six initial ones. After that, the government plans to advance a phased roll-out in 2023 for all taxpayers under the system’s scope. Meanwhile, taxpayers can take advantage of this interim period to conform with the Philippines CTC reporting requirements.

Take Action

Need to ensure compliance with the latest e-invoice requirements in the Philippines? Speak to our team.

Luxembourg VAT Requirements

VAT in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is one of many European countries to implement SAF-T and e-invoicing to provide greater visibility into a wide range of business, accounting and tax data.

Luxembourg introduced SAF-T requirements in 2011. In 2019 the country introduced an e-invoicing legislation.

Luxembourg is part of the EU single market economy and falls under the EU VAT regime. The EU issues VAT Directives laying out the principles of how the VAT regime should be adopted by Member States. These Directives take precedent over any local legislation.

VAT law within the country is administered by the Administration de l’Enregistrement et des Domaines and is contained within the General Tax Code.

Get the information you need

Quick facts

  • Just like in any other EU Member State, e-invoicing is permitted in Luxembourg, subject to the buyer accepting the exchange of electronic invoices.

  • Businesses must ensure integrity of invoice content and authenticity of origin for their invoices.  Integrity and authenticity can be proved using Advanced Electronic Signatures, ‘proper EDI’ with an interchange agreement based on the EC 1994 recommendation, and Business Controls-based Audit Trail.

  • In May 2019, Luxembourg adopted legislation about e-invoicing in public procurement following the EU Directive 2014/55/EU. The Directive states that e-invoices will continue to be exchanged voluntarily by suppliers to the government and the centralised PEPPOL access point will continue to be used.

  • Prior authorisation is required before outsourcing to a service provider – written authorisation is recommended.

  • Invoices stored in electronic form must have evidence of their integrity and authenticity stored electronically as well.

  • E-invoices may only be stored in EU Member States (or other countries) of which Luxembourg has signed a mutual tax assistance treaty – prior to notification and access.

  • VAT returns may be filed monthly, quarterly or annually electronically through Luxembourg’s online platform (eCDF) via PDF or XML format. Alternatively, annual filings can be made either in electronic format through the portal or via sending a paper copy of the VAT return to the requisite tax office.

  • To submit tax returns electronically, taxpayers must ensure the service provider they use is certified within eCDF.

SAF-T reforms

Officially implemented in 2011, Luxembourg’s Standard Audit File for Tax (SAF-T) is locally known as Fichier Audit Informatisé AED (FAIA).

Businesses must, if requested, submit their financial data electronically in a format that is compliant with AED electronic audit file specifications (i.e., in the specified FAIA format). Only resident businesses subject to the Luxembourg Standard Chart of Accounts must file the FAIA.

Mandate rollout dates

2011 – Introduction of SAF-T, known as Fichier Audit Informatisé AED (FAIA)

2019 – Adoption of e-invoicing legislation in public procurement with 2014/55/EU Directive

How Sovos can help

Need help to ensure your business stays compliant with evolving e-invoicing, reporting and SAF-T obligations in Luxembourg?

Keeping up with VAT compliance obligations has become more difficult as Luxembourg continues to take steps to reduce its VAT gap and modernise the system.

Our experts continually monitor, interpret and codify changes into our software, reducing the compliance burden on your tax and IT teams.

Learn how Sovos’ solutions for changing SAF-T and VAT obligations can help companies stay compliant.

Transition from voluntary to mandatory e-invoicing expected from 1 April 2023

From 1 January 2022, taxpayers have been able to issue structured invoices (e-invoices) using Poland’s National e-Invoicing System (KSeF) on a voluntary basis, meaning electronic and paper forms are still acceptable in parallel. Introduction of the KSeF system is part of the digital transformation happening in Poland following the establishment of continuous transaction control (CTC) mandates all around Europe, supporting faster and more effective identification of tax fraud.

The KSeF system enables taxpayers to issue and receive invoices electronically. It is one of the most technologically advanced tools in Europe for exchanging information on economic events. Structured invoices issued via the system are prepared in accordance with the invoice template developed by the Ministry of Finance. After issuance, the invoices are sent from the financial and accounting system via an interface (API) to the central database (KSeF). Afterwards they are available in the system and can be downloaded by the recipient.

For more information see this overview about e-invoicing in Poland or VAT Compliance in Poland.

Poland’s derogation requests

On 5 August 2021, the Republic of Poland requested authorisation to derogate from Articles 218, 226 and 232 of the VAT Directive to be able to implement an obligation to issue electronic invoices, processed through the National e-Invoicing System (KSeF), for all transactions that require the issuance of an invoice according to Polish VAT legislation.

Subsequently, on 9 February 2022, Poland modified its request, asking for the authorisation to derogate only from Articles 218 and 232 of the VAT Directive and specified that mandatory electronic invoicing would only apply to taxable persons established in the territory of Poland.

Poland considers the introduction of a generalised obligation to issue electronic invoices would bring significant benefits in terms of combating VAT fraud and evasion while simplifying tax collection. Moreover, the implementation of the measure will accelerate the digitalization of the public sector.

 The European Commission derogatory decision

As derived from Article 218 of the VAT Directive, Member States are obliged to accept all documents or messages in paper or electronic form as invoices. Poland strived to obtain a derogation from the above-mentioned Article of the VAT Directive so that only documents in electronic form could be considered as invoices by the Polish tax administration.

Additionally, based on Article 232 of the VAT Directive the use of an electronic invoice is subject to acceptance by the recipient. Therefore, the introduction of an electronic invoicing obligation in Poland requires a derogation from this Article, so that the issuer no longer has to obtain the consent of the recipient to send an invoice in a paperless format. Currently, under Article 106n of the Polish VAT law, the use of electronic invoices requires the approval of the invoice recipient, which hinders the possibility to impose mandatory electronic invoicing.

As announced by the European Commission on 30 March 2022, Poland has been granted the derogatory decision both from the Article 218 and Article 232 of Directive 2006/112/EC. The decision will apply from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2026, after receiving the last approval from the EU Council. The mandatory phase of the mandate is expected to begin on 1 April 2023.

The KSeF taxpayer application – on the horizon

To allow taxpayers to issue and make electronic invoices available using KSeF, the Polish Ministry of Finance will offer several tools free of charge:

On 31 March 2022 the Ministry of Finance announced that the test version of the KSeF Taxpayer application will be made available on 7 April 2022. It will enable management of authorisations, issuing and receiving invoices from the KSeF.

Next steps

With the published decision of the European Commission Poland has entered into the next implementing stage of mandatory e-invoicing. The next steps will follow after receiving the approval from the EU Council (which is now a formality and should take place within a few weeks). Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance will implement universal electronic invoicing in Poland giving adequate time for the businesses to adapt to new solutions.

Need help with Poland’s evolving CTC requirements?

Development of Sovos’ CTC solution for Poland is already well-advanced and will shortly be ready for implementation. To get ahead of the inevitable rush to comply with Poland’s CTC mandate, contact us today.

Update: 12 September 2023 by Robson Satiro de Almeida

Tax Reform in Brazil: Simplification Statute Published

Recent developments in Brazil indicate changes on the horizon, as the country continues to move towards a tax reform for simplification of e-invoicing obligations.

A significant reform of ancillary tax obligations is underway aiming to create a unified system for issuing tax documents. The government has long anticipated and discussed this project, but it now shows promise of becoming a reality.

The Brazilian government published Complementary Law no. 199 (Lei Complementar no. 199) in August 2023, establishing the National Statute for the Simplification of Additional Tax Obligations (the Statute). The Statute derives from Draft Law Proposal no. 178/2021 and seeks to streamline ancillary tax obligations, including filing tax returns, keeping accounting records and issuing electronic invoices.

What will change in e-invoicing?

The Statute’s primary change provides the unification of rules for issuing electronic invoices and fulfilling other ancillary obligations. There are currently more than a thousand different electronic invoice formats throughout the country, driving up business maintenance costs and resulting in adversities in company budgets.

Specifically, the Statute establishes integrated action at the Federal, State and Municipal levels to reach the following:

  1. Unified issuance of electronic tax documents
  2. Use of e-invoicing data to calculate taxes and provide pre-filled tax returns
  3. Simplification of tax and contribution payments by consolidating collection documents
  4. Centralisation of tax records and their sharing in accordance with legal mandates

How will changes occur?

To achieve unified e-invoice issuance and integration of other ancillary obligations, the government will assess existing systems, legislation, special regimes, exemptions and electronic tax platforms. The next step is to standardise legislation and the respective systems used to fulfil such obligations.

As per the Statute, this integration effort aims to provide benefits such as:

The Statute also creates the National Committee for the Simplification of Ancillary Tax Obligations (CNSOA) to establish and improve the processes for simplifying tax obligations in line with a definition of a national standard process. However, the Union, States, Federal District and Municipalities may establish additional tax responsibilities related to their respective taxes, if they are aligned with the CNSOA provisions.

What’s next?

After formal composition of the National Committee, the Federal Executive Branch must adopt the necessary measures to allow it to carry out its activities as defined in the Statute. This is essential to start the official move towards national unification of e-invoicing processes and other ancillary obligations.

Additionally, the National Congress will still analyse and vote on certain points of the Statute that the President vetoed, which could result in further alignment or changes within the National Statute for the Simplification of Additional Tax Obligations.

Starting to prepare for eventual changes with e-invoicing in Brazil? Sovos can help.

 

Update: 21 March 2022 by Kelly Muniz

Brazil is, without doubt, one of the most challenging jurisdictions in the world when it comes to tax legislation. The intricate fiscal system that encompasses rules fromhttps://sovos.com/vat/tax-rules/brazil-e-invoicing/ 27 states and over 5000 municipalities has created a burden on companies, especially for cross-state and cross-municipality transactions.

Furthermore, taxpayers must carefully examine the numerous e-invoicing formats and requirements (and, sometimes, the lack of such). Therefore, hopes for tax reform in Brazil have existed for quite some time.

Simplifying e-invoicing compliance

In recent years, several legislative initiatives towards integrating indirect taxation mandates across the country have not met successful outcomes. Meanwhile, a feasible step into bringing forth such changes may be through the unification of rules on digital compliance with tax obligations, such as VAT e-invoicing and e-reporting.

In late 2021 a draft law proposal (Projeto de Lei Complementar n. 178/2021) was initiated by the private sector. Named the National Statute for the Simplification of Ancillary Fiscal Obligations, it has been welcomed this year by the House of Representatives. Its primary purpose is to introduce a significant reform within digital tax reporting obligations by creating a unified e-invoicing system.

By establishing national fiscal cooperation, the proposal intends to reduce costs with compliance, allow information sharing among tax authorities, and create an incentive for taxpayers’ conformity across all federal, state and municipal levels.

The principal agenda of the draft law proposal is to introduce:

What this means for businesses

The most significant change is the introduction of the NFB-e (Nota Fiscal Brasil Eletronica), a national standard for e-invoicing. It entails the unification of the NF-e (Nota Fiscal Eletronica), NFS-e (Nota Fiscal de Servicos Eletronica) and NF-C (Nota Fiscal do Consumidor Eletronica) in one single document. This will cover Brazil’s VAT-like taxes, in this case, ICMS (VAT on products and certain services) and ISS (services VAT).

In practice, this means that instead of complying with numerous e-invoicing formats and mandates, according to the state and municipality of the transaction, one national digital standard will provide uniform country-wide compliance for e-invoicing. The NFB-e will cover invoicing of goods and services on state and municipal levels for B2G, B2B and B2C transactions.

The reform will drastically reduce the burden on taxpayers and expand the scope of e-invoicing to municipalities where such a mandate hasn’t been adopted yet.

It’s essential to add clearance requirements for e-invoicing in Brazil will be maintained, meaning that businesses will still need to comply with rules for real-time clearance of invoices with the tax authority.

What’s next?

The draft law proposal is still in early discussions and will follow to the Justice and Citizenship Constitutional Commission (CCJC) for approval and possible amendments before voting by Congress. Until then, compliance with e-invoicing rules across Brazil remains at its current challenging status.

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Need to ensure compliance with the latest Brazilian e-invoicing requirements? Speak to our team or download Trends Edition 13 to keep up to date with the latest regulatory news and updates.

Slovakia E-invoicing

The modernisation of tax and tax controls remains a high priority for Slovakia’s tax authority. The Slovakian Ministry of Finance plans to introduce a continuous transaction control (CTC) scheme aligned with ViDA to improve the fight against tax evasion and obtain real-time information about underlying business transactions.

Plenty is happening in Slovakia where e-invoicing is concerned, and this page is your ideal overview of the country’s journey towards obligatory electronic invoicing.

B2B e-invoicing in Slovakia

Slovakia has proposed to implement mandatory e-invoicing for B2B transactions from 2027.

The proposal would require taxpayers to issue and receive electronic invoices for domestic, business-to-business transactions. This mandate would use Peppol—the pan-European e-invoicing initiative used by many countries—to facilitate the exchange of e-invoices.

The idea behind implementing Peppol is to enable multiple certified e-invoicing providers to participate, creating a decentralised system.

In addition to mandating the exchange of electronic invoices, the proposal includes real-time reporting of invoice data to the country’s financial administration.

B2G e-invoicing in Slovakia

Slovakia currently requires central, regional and local authorities to be able to receive and process electronic invoices. This has been enforced since 1 August 2019.

E-invoicing is still not fully implemented for business-to-government transactions. However, it is expected that the new CTC regime will cover both B2B and B2G e-invoices.

The use of Peppol in Slovakia

Slovakia’s Financial Administration plans to introduce a mandate for B2B e-invoicing, utilising Peppol’s infrastructure and framework to facilitate document transmission.

The plan of having a decentralised e-invoicing system would allow businesses to exchange e-invoices uniformly and securely and therefore improving operational efficiency.

Also, by joining the Peppol network, the government would allow businesses currently offering e-invoicing solutions in the Slovakia to become Peppol-certified providers, fostering healthy market competition. Slovakia’s Financial Administration will serve as the nation’s Peppol Authority.

Timeline of e-invoicing adoption in Slovakia

Here are the key dates in Slovakia’s journey towards adopting e-invoicing:

  • 19 December 2024: The Ministry of Finance unveils a proposal regarding mandatory e-invoicing and real-time reporting of invoice data to the Financial Administration
  • 1 January 2027: The proposed date of the country’s B2B e-invoicing mandate
  • 1 January 2027: The proposed date of the country’s requirement to report domestic transactions to the tax authorities in real time
  • 1 July 2030: Meeting the requirement from the EU’s ViDA initiative to implement reporting of intra-community transactions
  • 1 July, 2030: Slovakian VAT-registered businesses must comply with VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) requirements, which include mandatory e-invoicing and digital reporting for Intra-Community B2B transactions.

Setting up e-invoicing in Slovakia with Sovos

With Slovakia well on its way to introducing mandates for e-invoicing, it’s important to be ahead of the curve to ensure compliance. However, an evolving e-invoicing landscape isn’t unique to Slovakia.

Chances are that most countries you do business in are undergoing a similar digital transformation. Sovos is a single solutions supplier to ensure your organisation complies with its tax obligations – everywhere you operate.

Choosing Sovos means choosing peace of mind and reclaiming your time.

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FAQ

It is only mandatory for central, regional and local authorities to be able to receive and process e-invoices. Outside of that, Slovakia has no mandate in place for electronic invoicing.

Slovakia is expected to introduce mandatory e-invoicing combined with real-time reporting of invoices to the tax authority.

Currently, the use of Peppol to exchange e-invoices is not mandatory. However, according to the upcoming CTC reform, the Peppol network is planned to be mandatory for the exchange of e-invoices between businesses.

In the European Union, the VAT rules around supplies of goods, as well as ’traditional’ two-party supplies of services, are well-defined and established. Peer-to-peer services facilitated by a platform, however, do not always fit neatly into the categories set out under the EU VAT Directive (Council Directive 2006/112/EC). There are ambiguities around both the nature of the service provided by the platform operator, and the status, for tax purposes, of the individual service provider (i.e., a driver for a ride-sharing service, or an individual offering their property for rent on an online marketplace). This creates a unique challenge for VAT policymakers.

The EU Commission has recently opened a public consultation on VAT and the platform economy to address these issues. We have previously discussed other initiatives proposed by the Commission including a single EU VAT registration and VAT reporting and e-invoicing. This blog will discuss the underlying challenges policymakers face and the specific proposals set out in the consultation, which could significantly impact digital platform operators and users.

Digital platforms and existing VAT law

A threshold question for the VAT treatment of digital platforms is whether the platform merely connects individual sellers with individual customers – i.e., acts as an intermediary – or whether it actively provides a separate service to the customer. This question is significant because services rendered to a non-taxable person by an intermediary, under Article 46 of the VAT Directive, are sourced to the location of the underlying transaction.

In contrast, services provided to a non-taxable person under a taxpayer’s name are sourced either to the supplier’s location or, in certain circumstances, to the customer’s location. Whether a particular platform is acting as an intermediary can be very fact-specific and can depend, for example, on the level of control exercised by the platform over pricing or user conduct.

To further muddy the waters, there are potential ambiguities for VAT involving:

  1. Whether platform operators act as disclosed or undisclosed agents of individual sellers, or
  2. Whether services of platform operators, to the extent they are not intermediary services, are electronically supplied, and thus sourced to the customer’s location.

A final source of ambiguity is whether an individual service provider qualifies as a taxable person when making only occasional supplies; this could raise the question of whether said supplies would attract VAT.

These ambiguities present an obvious challenge to the consistent VAT treatment of platforms across the Member States.

Proposed solutions

As part of its public consultation on “VAT in the Digital Age”, the EU Commission has proposed several solutions to the challenges listed above. Of these, three proposals directly address the ambiguous nature of services provided via platforms:

  1. An EU-wide “clarification” of the nature of the services provided by platform operators
  2. A rebuttable presumption for the status of service providers who use platforms
  3. A “deemed supplier regime” for digital platforms – similar to what exists now for platforms that facilitate supplies of goods

These proposals aim to provide clear guidelines to Member States on how platform services should be categorised, and, therefore, which VAT rules should apply under the Directive. Perhaps the most direct is the “deemed supplier” proposal, which would attach VAT liability to platform operators under defined circumstances.

A “deemed supplier regime” already exists for platforms that facilitate sales of low-value goods in the EU, so it is likely the Commission will seriously consider this option. Notably, the public consultation solicited comments on three different permutations of the deemed supplier regime, differing only in the scope of services covered.

Whichever direction the EU ultimately goes in, it is clear that a significant change is on the horizon for digital platforms. Platform operators and platform users should pay close attention to these ongoing consultations in the coming months.

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Governments throughout the world are introducing continuous transaction control (CTC) systems to improve and strengthen VAT collection while combating tax evasion. Romania, with the largest VAT gap in the EU (34.9% in 2019), is one of the countries moving the fastest when it comes to introducing CTCs. In December 2021 the country announced mandatory usage of the RO e-Factura system for high-fiscal risk products in B2B transactions starting from 1 July 2022, and already now they are taking the next step.

For more information in general see this overview about e-invoicing in Romania or see this overview on VAT Compliance in Romania.

RO e-Transport system

The Ministry of Finance recently published a draft Emergency Ordinance (Ordinance)  introducing a mandatory e-transport system for monitoring certain goods on the national territory starting from 1 July 2022. The RO e-Transport system will be interconnected with existing IT systems at the level of the Ministry of Finance, the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) or the Romanian Customs Authority.

According to the draft Ordinance, the transportation of high-fiscal risk products will be declared in the e-transport system a maximum of three calendar days before the start of the transport, in advance of the movement of goods from one location to another.

The declaration will include the following:

The system will generate a unique code (ITU code) following the declaration. This code must accompany the goods that are being transported, in physical or electronic format with the transport document. Competent authorities will verify the declaration and the goods on the transport routes.

The first question that comes to mind is what the definition of high-fiscal risk products is. The Romanian Ministry of Finance had already established a list of high-fiscal risk products for mandatory usage of the RO e-Factura system. However, it is still unknown if the high-fiscal risk product list will be the same. The Ministry of Finance will establish a subsequent order defining the high-fiscal risk products in the coming days.

If the transportation includes both goods with high-fiscal risk and other goods that are not in the category of high-fiscal risk, the whole transportation must be declared in the RO e-Transport system.

Which transportations are in scope?

The RO e-Transport system is established to monitor the transportation of high-risk goods on the national territory.

This includes the following:

The carriage of goods intended for diplomatic missions, consular posts, international organisations, the armed forces of foreign NATO Member States or as a result of the execution of contracts, are not in the scope of the RO e-Transport system.

What happens next?

The draft Ordinance is expected to be published in the official gazette in the coming days. Following the publication, the Ministry of Finance will establish subsequent orders to define the categories of road vehicles and the list of high-fiscal risk products for the RO e-Transport system. Moreover, as of 1 July 2022, using the RO e-Transport system will become mandatory for transporting high-fiscal risk products.

Noncompliance with the rules relating to the e-Transport system will result in a fine reaching LEI 50,000 (approx. EUR 10,000) for individuals and LEI 100,000 (approx. EUR 20,000) for legal persons. In addition, the value of undeclared goods will be confiscated.

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The European Commission’s “VAT in the Digital Age” initiative reflects on how tax authorities can use technology to fight tax fraud and, at the same time, modernise processes to the benefit of businesses.

A public consultation was launched earlier this year, in which the Commission welcomes feedback on policy options for VAT rules and processes in a digitized economic EU. In an earlier blog post, Sovos explored the aspects of a single EU VAT registration.  It’s one of the main initiatives proposed by the Commission to adapt the EU VAT framework to the digital age. Another critical issue is VAT reporting obligations and e-invoicing, discussed in this blog.

Digital Reporting Requirements

The Commission sees a need for modernising VAT reporting obligations and is considering the possibility of further extending e-invoicing. The term Digital Reporting Requirements was introduced by the Commission for any obligation to report transactional data other than the obligation to submit a VAT return, i.e. reporting transaction by transaction. This means that Digital Reporting Requirements include various types of transactional reporting requirements (e.g. VAT listing, Standard Audit File/SAF-T, real-time reporting) and mandatory e-invoicing requirements.

These measures have been implemented in various fashions in different EU Member States over the past couple of years resulting in diverse rules and requirements for VAT reporting and e-invoicing across the EU. The current Commission initiative is an opportunity for the EU to obtain harmonisation in this area. Its public consultation is asking for input as to which road to take.

The route to harmonisation

The public consultation contains several policy options to consider. One would be to leave things as they currently stand with no harmonisation and the continued need for Member States to request a derogation if they wanted to introduce mandatory e-invoicing. At the other end of the scale, a further option would be to introduce full harmonisation of transactional reporting for VAT for both intra-EU and all domestic transactions.

And sitting between these extremes, are several other routes. Instead of making a harmonised solution mandatory such a solution could be simply recommended and voluntary, coupled with the removal of the need to request a derogation ahead of introducing B2B e-invoicing mandates. Another way is to have taxpayers keep all transactional data and make it available on request by the authorities. And one final option could be to adopt partial harmonisation where the VAT reporting for all intra-EU supplies is aligned and mandatory but where domestically it remains optional.

While these policy options formally remain open to public consultation until 5 May here, they must now be viewed in the light of the European Parliament resolution of 10 March 2022 with recommendations to the Commission on fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery strategy.

In its resolution, the European Parliament calls upon the Commission to take actions regarding e-invoicing and reporting, to reduce the tax gap and compliance costs. Among the measures recommended are to set up a harmonised common standard for e-invoicing across the EU without delay and establish the role of e-invoicing in real-time reporting. Furthermore, the European Parliament proposes that the Commission explore the possibility of a gradual introduction of obligatory e-invoicing by 2023, where state-operated or certified systems should administrate the invoice issuance. In both cases focus should be on a significant reduction of costs of compliance, especially for SMEs.

It remains to be seen how the Commission will manage to align the European Parliament’s recommendations with their policy options and Member States where in several cases solutions have already been implemented.

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In November 2021, a Draft Royal Decree was published by the Chancery of the Prime Minister of Belgium, aiming to expand the scope of the existing e-invoicing mandate for certain business to government (B2G) transactions by implementing mandatory e-invoicing for all transactions with public administrations in Belgium. This obligation was already in place for suppliers of the centralised public entities of certain regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia). However, going forward, it will include all public entities in all Belgian regions.

A phased approach

More specifically, the roll-out for mandatory issuance of e-invoices by the suppliers of public institutions in Belgium will be carried out in the following phased approach:

As a result of the transposition of the Directive 2014/55/EU, all Belgian government bodies are already obliged to be able to receive and process e-invoices within public procurement. This new national legislation expands the Directive’s scope and mandates the issuance of e-invoices by all suppliers to the federal government.

The journey continues towards a B2B e-invoicing mandate

These B2G developments are not the end of the story. They are just the beginning. The Belgian Minister of Finance, Vincent Van Peteghem, announced in October 2021 that the government intends to extend the existing B2G e-invoicing obligation to also cover B2B transactions. Nevertheless, official sources have not yet communicated formal information specifying details of the mandate and its following implementation. Rumour has it that a legislative proposal for the B2B e-invoicing mandate was going to be published during 2022 with the implementation process happening in 2023.

However, considering the European Parliament Resolution last week which strongly favours harmonised and mandatory e-invoicing in the EU, Belgium will likely hold its horses at least until the Commission produces a proposal for how to manage e-invoicing and reporting in the Union.

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On 10 March, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a Resolution to the Commission’s Action Plan on fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery strategy, which set forth 25 initiatives predominantly related to European Union Value Added Tax (EU VAT). The document includes several general considerations and recommendations to the Commission for the VAT Directive revision proposal (“VAT in the Digital Age”) for 2022.

Changes to the EU VAT tax policy

The EP’s resolution addressed the significant challenges in the European Union (EU) VAT tax policy and placed particular attention on the simplification, modernisation and harmonisation of such rules by uniform adoption of technology tools across all Member States, including digital and e-invoicing requirements and mandates.

The updated resolution highlights a concern around the lack of sufficient support from the Council regarding the definitive VAT regime, that is, the shift from origin to destination principle, still due for implementation. In such a system, VAT will be levied at the place of destination, leaving behind the complex transitional VAT system rules.

EU VAT tax policy challenges

Concerns were also raised on the complexity of the multiple tax regulations across the EU and the constraints this entails, particularly for small and medium enterprise (SME) compliance and for those vulnerable to fraud. Added to these factors are the high costs borne by businesses to conform to the multitude of legislative requirements in the different jurisdictions. The Parliament makes an urgent call for a consistent move towards a more straightforward and modern VAT system.

Moving towards simpler VAT reporting

More specifically, the EP described the Commission’s efforts to harmonise procedural rules across the EU and encourage closer cooperation efforts among tax authorities and businesses through the EU Cooperative compliance program as of “highest importance”.

The objective of various points was to use technology as an effective means for simple and modern tax compliance. Digitization of VAT was utterly welcomed as a means for modern and simplified VAT compliance, where real-time or near real-time reporting and e-invoicing is to be utilised by Member States in a uniform and harmonised manner across EU all jurisdictions.

On the same front, recommendations were for one-time collection of data by the tax authority aligned with utmost protection and respect regarding data security legislation, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and various software to ensure maximum effectiveness of data usage and security. Adopting digitization requirements will enhance security, prevent and combat fraud and increase administrative cooperation among Member States.

The resolution also targeted the new Union business and taxation agenda, supporting the design of a new and single Union corporate tax rulebook, which should reflect the OECD Pillar 1 (reallocation of taxing rights) and Pillar 2 (minimum tax on corporate profit) negotiations.

These recommendations are to be followed by the European Commission’s submission of one or more legislative proposals by 2022/2023.

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Poland has been moving towards introducing the CTC framework and the system, the Krajowy System e-Faktur (KSeF), since early 2021. As of 1 January 2022, the platform has been available for taxpayers who opt to issue structured invoices through KSeF and to benefit from the introduced incentives.

As the taxpayers have been using KSeF for a while, let’s take a closer look at what has been happening and will happen in the future regarding Poland’s CTC reform.

Publication of regulation on the use of KSeF

Initially presented as a draft act by the Ministry of Finance in November 2021, the regulation on the use of KSEF was finally adopted and published in the Official Gazette on 30 December 2021 after several reiterations.

The regulation covers mainly the categories of authorisations, methods of authentication, and information required to access the structured invoices.

According to the regulation, taxpayers using KSEF are required to authenticate using one of the following methods: Qualified Electronic Signature, Qualified Electronic Seal, Trusted Signature, or Token.

A trusted signature confirms the identity assigned to a specific Polish Identification (PESEL) number. The token method can be used to grant authorisations in the KSeF once the taxpayer has been authenticated.

New information and documentation published by the Polish tax authority

The Polish tax authority has published new information on its website about KSeF features including FAQs and further documentation.

The FAQs include information regarding the scope and operational side of the system, whereas the sample XML files and the information brochure shed light on the logical structure of e-invoices and mapping requirements.

What will happen next?

Although the tax authority continues to make every effort to clarify the many aspects of the new CTC system in Poland, we still have a long way to go regarding the full implementation of KSeF.

For instance, during the public consultation of the draft act the Ministry of Finance stated taxpayers would be able to download structured invoices via API in XML or PDF format. As of today, there is no technical information available regarding the PDF generation within the system using the API. The tax authority has published the technical documentation related to the outbound process but there is still no documentation available on the inbound side.

More importantly, a decision authorising Poland to introduce special measures derogating from Articles of the EU VAT Directive is yet to be obtained from the EU Council for roll-out of the e-invoicing mandate for all B2B transactions. The current Polish VAT Act requires the buyer’s acceptance to receive structured invoices. As the Polish authorities aim to make the KSeF mandatory in 2023 an amendment of this provision is expected once the special measures have been authorized by the EU Council.

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For more information see this overview about e-invoicing in PolandPoland SAF-T or VAT Compliance in Poland.

Unlike many other country initiatives that we have seen in the e-invoicing space recently, Australia does not seem to have any immediate plans to introduce continuous transaction controls (CTC) or government-portal involvement in their B2B invoicing.

Judging from the recent public consultation, current efforts are focused on ways to accelerate business adoption of electronic invoicing. This consultation builds on the government’s previous outreach undertaken in November 2020 on “Options for the mandatory adoption of e-invoicing by businesses”, which led to a serious government effort to enhance the value of e-invoicing for businesses and increase business awareness and adoption.

In addition to a decision to make it mandatory for all commonwealth government agencies to receive PEPPOL e-invoices from 1 July 2022, the Australian government seeks to also boost e-invoicing in the B2B space, but without the traditional mandate for businesses to invoice electronically. Instead, the proposal is to implement the Business e-Invoicing Right (BER).

What Is Business E-invoicing Right (BER)?

Under the government’s proposal, businesses would have the right to request that their trading parties send an e-invoice over the PEPPOL network instead of paper invoices.

To make and receive these requests, businesses need to set up their systems to receive PEPPOL e-invoices. Once a business has this capability, it would be able to exercise its ‘right’ and request other companies to send them PEPPOL e-invoices.

According to the current proposal, BER would be delivered in three phases, with the first phase to include large businesses, and the later stages to include small and medium-sized businesses. The possible rollout of BER would be as follows:

Further measures to support e-invoicing adoption

The objective of the Australian BER initiative to boost the adoption of B2B e-invoicing is complemented by a proposal for several other initiatives supporting businesses in this direction. One measure would be the enabling of PEPPOL-compatible EDI networks. As EDI networks represent a barrier to broader adoption of PEPPOL e-invoicing, particularly for small businesses that interact with large businesses that use multiple EDI systems, the proposal to enable PEPPOL-compatible EDI networks could ultimately reduce costs for businesses currently interacting with multiple EDI networks. Furthermore, the government is contemplating expanding e-invoicing into Procure-to-Pay. Businesses may realise more value from adopting e-invoicing if the focus grows to embrace an efficient and standardised P2P process that includes e-invoicing.

Finally, integrating e-invoicing with payments is another proposed means to boost e-invoicing. This would allow businesses to efficiently receive invoices from suppliers directly into their accounting software and then pay those invoices through their payment systems.

How efficient the proposed measures will be in accelerating adoption of e-invoicing, and whether the Australian government will feel it was the right decision not to introduce a proper e-invoicing mandate, as is becoming more and more common globally, remains to be seen.

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On 24 February 2022, the Indian Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued a notification (Notification No. 01/2022 – Central Tax) that lowered the threshold for mandatory e-invoicing.

In India, e-invoicing is mandatory for taxpayers when exceeding a specific threshold (businesses operating in certain sectors are exempted). The current threshold for mandatory e-invoicing is 50 Cr. Rupees (approximately 6.6 million USD). From 1 April 2022, taxpayers with an annual threshold of 20 Cr. Rupees (approximately 2.65 million USD) or above must comply with the e-invoicing rules.

Evolution of e-invoicing in India

E-invoicing has been mandatory in India since October 2020. The IRP must approve and validate e-invoices before being sent to the buyer. Therefore, the Indian e-invoicing system is categorised as a clearance e-invoicing system, a type of continuous transaction controls (CTC).

From the beginning, the Indian tax authority clearly expressed their intention to gradually expand the scope of e-invoicing. In line with its message, the threshold limit has been lowered twice; in January 2021 (from 500 CR. To 100 Cr.) and April 2021 (from 100 CR. To 50 Cr.). Once again, the threshold limit is reduced to require more taxpayers to transmit their transactional data to the tax authority’s platform.

One important thing to be noted in this context is that voluntary adoption of e-invoicing is still not possible. Taxpayers cannot opt in to use the e-invoicing system and transmit their invoices to the IRP voluntarily. Given the recent developments, this might change in the future.

E-invoicing and E-waybill relationship

Suppliers in the mandatory scope of e-invoicing must generate e-waybills relating to B2B, B2G and export transactions through the e-invoicing platform because their access to the e-waybill platform is blocked for generating e-waybills relating to these transactions. E-waybills relating to transactions outside of the scope of e-invoicing can still be generated through the e-waybill platform.

Therefore, it would be advisable for taxpayers who are getting ready to implement e-invoicing to consider this aspect.

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Get in touch with our team of tax experts to learn how Sovos’ tax compliance software can help meet your e-invoicing requirements in India.