SAP add on for ‘VAT Smartform PDF’ in Poland

We offer a new SAP add-on solution that creates automatically the VAT Smartform from SAP. When our SAF-T SAP add-on solution has been purchased this additional functionality will be managed under SAF-T cockpit as a different report.

Companies selling across European Union borders have to submit EC Sales List (ESL). This should contain the details of sales or transfers of goods and services to other VAT registered companies in other EU countries summarized per VAT registration number. The tax authorities in the EU use the listings to check whether VAT is declared by the parties involved in cross-border transactions (e.g. no mismatches).

In Poland a specific extra local requirement applies. As of 1 January 2017 taxpayers making transactions with EU members will be required to submit mandatory the declaration in electronic format.

The Polish tax authorities provides a VAT Smartform PDF that a company has to fill in with the requested information. That Smartform is mandatory and must be used to meet the requirement. Without automation support the data has to be entered manually by the company.

Entering data is a time consuming process. Besides the impact on internal resources, such manual activity increases the risk of data errors, i.e. with entering the VAT registration numbers in the Smartform.

Stricter penalties apply for individuals involved in tax fraud and penalties are introduced for taxpayers who do meet the legal requirement of submitting declarations in electronic format.

Source: SAP - submitting close to real time data to tax authorities

In Spain on 1 July 2017: immediate supply of Information to tax authorities in force

In Spain a new VAT reporting system will enter into force on the 1st of July 2017. The new Spanish requirements will have a huge impact on many (multi)nationals that run SAP.

SAP add on for SII

The SAP add-on is based on the selection of the VAT relevant transactions from the SAP ledgers. This can be done manually with a new SAP transaction or in an automated way via scheduled batch jobs. The SII relevant data from the selected source transactions are stored in a new customized SII table. That single source ensures your data integrity and consistency. There will be no need for maintenance of multiple systems as it will all be maintained in SAP itself. All reportable SII data are available via a single SAP cockpit which enables easy (tax risk) management of the SII reports.

Read more: In Spain on 1 July 2017: immediate supply of Information to tax authorities in force

SAP add-on for immediate Supply of Information (SII) in Spain

SII (“Suministro Inmediato de Información”) in Spain is about changing the current VAT management system which has been in place for 30 years, introducing a new bookkeeping system for VAT on the AEAT online system, by providing all billing records virtually immediately. 

The new Immediate Supply of Information accelerates the gap between recording or booking invoices and the actual realisation of the underlying economic transaction.

It is introduced because the current technological situation allows its implementation at this time, to improve both taxpayer assistance as taxation controls (e-tax audits).

SAP add-on solution

In Spain a new VAT reporting system will enter into force on the 1st of July 2017. The new Spanish requirements will have a huge impact on many (multi)nationals that run SAP.

Businesses classified as large companies will just have a couple of months left to adopt this new requirement in its processes, controls and systems.

It will be a real challenge. Failure to comply in time could result in penalties and increased risk of a tax audit. The goods news is that we developed already a SAP integrated SII solution.

That is not new for us as we have developed similar SAP add-on solutions before when SAF-T in Poland, Lithuania and Norway was introduced. SII is our next step in supporting clients that face IT business challenges.

We developed a SAP add-on solution by which the e-submission of the required data from AR and AP invoices is fully integrated in SAP without an external interface or use of external software.  With this add-on the submission of the requested invoices can be done automatically and in time.

Our SII for Spain is ready and functionality can be demonstrated via our own SAP environment.

Read more: SAP add-on for immediate Supply of Information (SII) in Spain

A SAP add-on to be able to cope with SAF-T and e-tax audits

Tax authorities around the world want to receive more frequent and faster tax relevant data for e-audit purposes to analyse Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and VAT positions taken to combat VAT fraud and to determine whether actually a fair share is paid (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting: 'OECD's BEPS').

More countries will therefore move to data request to monitor and electronic audits (e-audits) taxpayers. SAP itself does not provide an E2E solution to meet these (new) legal requirements.

More an more countries will implement 'the Standard Audit File for Tax Purposes (SAF-T) developed by the OECD. This format is intended to give tax authorities easy access to the relevant data in an easy readable format. This leads to much more efficient and effective tax inspections.

E-audits will be performed - using data analytics - on data submitted electronically by the taxpayers.

Read more

From tax trends to assessment to implementation

Lets just assume that tax transparency and disclosure of tax risks to the tax authorities is mandatory in force in every country and that the effectiveness of a tax control framework should be proven.

• Are OECD's Standard Audit File for Tax Purposes data requests (monthly and on request) - now rolled out in various European countries - the start of a new beginning for better audits by the tax authorities?
• Is it likely that tax authorities will get access to more sophisticated tax analytics tools?
• Do companies need better risk management tools to meet tax objectives set derived from business objectives?
• Do companies face additional tax risk due to (close to) real time data requests of the tax authorities - implemented for example in Brasil and will be in force in Spain per July 1, 2017 - and does it impact a company's audit defense, tax risk management, ERP systems and tax technology?

Without doubt, the answer to all questions is a resounding yes.

Source: From tax strategy to artificial intelligence to automating the tax adviser | Richard H. Cornelisse | Pulse | LinkedIn

From tax strategy to artificial intelligence to automating the tax advise

Innovation' and 'Tax strategy' have my interest. In the UK the Executive has to sign off the company's tax strategy and publish. The strength of the UK approach is that the Executive has to take position and also keep its promise as a public statement has been made.

This legal change realised that it has now become an Executive owned KPI to manage overall tax risks resulting that the supervisory board and external auditor have a responsibility to audit 'being compliant' as the company might face reputational risks when that promise is not kept.

Without such Executive sign off not much would have changed tax function wise. At least that is the lesson learned from the Dutch initiative: 'Horizontal Monitoring' where such a sign off and public statement was missing.

Do you see the difference from a governance perspective?

Source: From tax strategy to artificial intelligence to automating the tax adviser | Richard H. Cornelisse | Pulse | LinkedIn

Standard Audit File for Tax Purposes in OECD format

Creating XML SAF-T Structures directly in SAP ECC. SNI SAF-T is a SAP add-on that runs over SAP ECC, is compatible with OECD standard and covers the steps of creation of necessary structures in XML format including E-submission with signature and encryption.

Tax authorities, due to technological innovations, have become increasingly better in executing their tax audit. The probability that the Tax Authorities will issue additional assessments and penalties in the near future because errors in indirect tax are detected, increases by the day.

The SAF-T standard, originally created by the OECD, is intended to give tax authorities easy access to the relevant data in an easily readable format. This leads to much more efficient and effective tax inspections.

Tax authorities collect and analyze already indirect tax data (e.g. SAF-T for VAT). The focus is not only about timely and accurate VAT reporting but as well whether on high risk areas an effective tax control framework is in place. Tax risk management methods are assessed.

Source: Standard Audit File for Tax Purposes in OECD format