5th IOTA Annual International Conference 'Electronic Invoicing: Implementation and Benefits'

Over the last decade, a considerable number of IOTA member tax administrations have built effective strategies in their country to acquire transactional and tax-relevant data electronically from commercial operations, introducing – by law – digital reporting obligations relating mainly to domestic business operations. These strategies primarily aim at implementing risk analysis and indirect tax control processes to identify and tackle VAT fraud and tax evasion.

However, the landscape of digital reporting obligations differs from country to country at legal, administrative and technical levels, particularly concerning requirements for the data submission, the frequency and, lastly, the technical standard to be used for data transmission. These differences in requirements have not only generated costs to medium-sized and small businesses but also unveiled some critical compliance issues, especially for multinational companies that operate across multiple jurisdictions, obliging to adapt to diverse digital reporting regulations, as well as limiting the interoperability and reusability of data for administrative purposes.

Several international initiatives are seeking to harmonize the country-specific regulations on digital reporting obligations with international standards, with a particular focus on the use of electronic invoicing. Examples of these initiatives are the EU-level - Proposal for VAT in the Digital Age (VIDA), the capacity building offered by the Intra-American Network of Tax Administrators (CIAT) to the tax administrations for the implementation and management of electronic invoicing, the work of the OECD FTA on Tax Administration 3.0 and Electronic Invoicing.

It is, therefore, necessary to avoid fragmentation of the various jurisdictions, especially supporting those who are evaluating the implementation of digital reporting processes using electronic invoicing, knowing that, in the meantime, technology continues to advance and offer new opportunities and solutions to simplify tax compliance.

The 5^th IOTA Annual International Conference will present the successful practices of different IOTA member Tax Administrations that have already implemented digital reporting system using e-invoicing and will explore different approaches taken to improve the effectiveness of the system, exchange of invoice data between businesses and tax administrations, and use of the information for tax compliance management purposes. 

The Conference will also seek to identify future developments in the management and control of e-invoicing processes and consider how technological developments might simplify and improve future tax accounting and data sharing processes by reducing costs and improving compliance.  

The Conference will focus on:

•  International developments on the implementation of digital reporting and e-invoicing, with the impacts on business and tax administrations;
• Views of tech companies and the business community on implementation issues and business benefits;
• The experiences of those who have implemented digital reporting systems, particularly e-invoicing, and those who are in the process of implementing such systems;
• Different approaches to the sharing and use of invoice data (continuous and periodic transaction controls);
• Identifying and maximising mutual benefits for tax administrations and business
• Sharing of lessons learned.