Source: Bahia Já - BA - ECONOMY - 12/11/2009

 These figures were recorded at the last meeting of the National Meeting of State Tax Coordinators and Administrators (Encat), in Brasília. Currently, about 3,5 million NF-e are issued per day in Brazil, a scenario that represents the progress and consolidation of the new model of fiscal document.

With the aim of replacing paper invoices with digital invoices, the new tool has become mandatory since April 2008 for the fuel and cigarette segments. Today, there are already more than 100 obligated segments and a turnover of more than R $ 6 trillion. Bahia, the state responsible for the technical and executive coordination of the Electronic Invoice system and one of the first to process NF-es in the country, has 2.870 taxpayers who use NF-e.

According to the coordinator of the National Meeting of State Tax Coordinators and Administrators (Encat) and Sefaz Bahia's tax auditor, Eudaldo Almeida, the number of electronic invoices issued represents the solidification of the new model of tax document. "This means that the NF-e is consolidated in terms of implementation and that it is already part of the normal billing process of large companies," said Eudaldo.

Manager of Souza Cruz's Indirect Taxes, Josefino Borges believes that the NF-e represents a very important advance for Brazil, bringing benefits to the whole society. "I see the uniformity of all states as a great merit and innovation in this taxation model, in addition to reducing ancillary costs, which is a major step forward for taxpayers," said Borges. Souza Cruz was one of the pioneering companies to use the Electronic Invoice and is part of the 1st sector to enter the mandatory.

MORE TRANSPARENCY

For the Secretary of Finance of Bahia, Carlos Martins, the NF-e contributes, above all, to a greater tax-taxpayer partnership, with more transparency and efficiency in fiscal control and in combating tax evasion.
 
“For the creation of a good business environment, in which fiscal justice prevails, it is necessary to show that there is no intermediary between companies and the government and that, in this relationship, transparency must always prevail, including the convergence of interests between the government and the good taxpayer, both want a clean market, with no tax evasion, ”says Martins.

Currently the mandatory issuance of electronic invoices covers several sectors such as cigarettes, fuels, manufacturers of new ones; automobile importers; manufacturers of auto parts and tires, aluminum, cans, PET bottles, paints, paper products, electronic components, information technology, communication transmitting equipment, plastic material, steel tubes, PVC tubes, air conditioners, tractors , jewelry artifacts; wholesalers and manufacturers of dairy products and breads; among others.

According to Eudaldo, there is still a lot to improve, but he says that the new system is a success. "We can say that the NF-e is a success and the rule is availability for all user taxpayers," he said. According to him, the forecast is that by 2010 the Electronic Invoice will reach a total of 80% of Brazilian taxpayers, leaving out only the participants of the Micro Entrepreneur Individual (MEI) program and few low-paying activities.

NF-e

Bahia currently occupies the 7th position in the ranking of emissions. The new system aims to implement a national model of electronic tax document that will replace the current system of issuing the paper tax document, with legal validity guaranteed by the sender's digital signature, simplifying the taxpayer's ancillary obligations and allowing, at the same time real-time monitoring of commercial operations by the Treasury. NF-e is replacing paper invoices for models 1 and 1A.

The model brings a series of benefits to taxpayers, such as the elimination of typing invoices at the reception of goods and consequent bookkeeping errors, in addition to the logistics planning that is made possible by the early receipt of information contained in the NF-e. For the issuer of the Nota Fiscal, the system allows the reduction of costs for the acquisition of forms, printing and storage of tax documents.

Easy access

Since 2008, taxpayers in Bahia using the Electronic Invoice, can, through the Sefaz website (http://www.sefaz.ba.gov.br/), check all tax documents issued or intended for them. Through the program, which is a pioneer in Bahia, the taxpayer can use the same password to access the secretariat's website and check its electronic inputs and outputs.