Author: Marco Antonio Zanini *

Source: Financial Executives - SP - ARTICLES - 07/10/2009

To understand what it is about, let's review the project a little: the Electronic Invoice is a Brazilian model of electronic tax document that replaces paper issuance, simplifying taxpayers' obligations and allowing real-time monitoring of transactions by the Tax Authorities. According to the government, the electronic invoice provides benefits to everyone involved in a commercial operation, contributing significantly to the improvement of the business environment in Brazil.

In practice, it is a solution found by the government to inhibit fraud and tax evasion. The years 2008 and 2009 were crucial for the implementation of the project. In its first phase, according to a survey by Deloitte on the eve of the mandatory September 1, only 40% of the companies had prepared correctly.

In the current model, the sender and the recipient are informed; the products, values ​​and taxes due are broken down. All of this is sent to the State Finance Secretaries in an electronic file, in XML format. The second generation of the Electronic Invoice is a refinement of the existing solution, since it will allow the crossing and checking of information, with the aim of documenting everything that occurs during the life cycle of the tax document.

This means that, with the second generation of NF-e, both seller and buyer will have responsibilities on an invoice. They will need to inform from the checkout of the product to the confirmation of the receipt of the goods, through return, registration of cargo theft, letter of correction and other occurrences. In this way, old practices, such as issuing a note to a location with a lower rate than the actual destination of the goods will cease to exist. The checking of the passage of goods through inspection posts becomes automatic; it is mandatory to officially record the receipt of the products at the destination.

As of 2010, the Federal Revenue Service will expand the requirement and the NF-e will cover all operations and companies in the country. Those who have not yet adapted, have a few months to do so. Those who have already adapted and use their own solutions will have a new adjustment with the NF-e 2G. And possibly with 3G, 4G ... Certainly more will come in the future. After all, the goal is to make the environment more competitive and increase the transparency of transactions.

* Marco Antonio Zanini, is general director of NFe do Brasil