3rd Meeting - 3 September 2008
A well attended meeting of the e-invoicing subgroup was held on 3rd Sept, where we heard, among other things, about e-invoicing examples in operation in the UK and with their overseas partners. Highlights from the meeting can be found below;
UN/CEFACT Recommendation 6, Aligned Invoice Layout Key with an Annex to accommodate e-Invoicing, had just concluded a public comment period. The SITPRO group had welcomed the improved structure of the document and had requested that the Recommendation should signpost the reader and potential end-user to the various standards and tools that were available for the implementation of e-invoicing systems. The Recommendation will have a final review on 18-19 September 2008 before its submission for approval and publication.
A positive note on the work of the EU Expert Group on e-Invoicing referring to the Legal Group which had progressed with recommendations on 'authenticity of origin', 'integrity of content' and a proposal for a 'Model Agreement' was received. In further developments, the European Commission (EC) declared that it was only an 'Observer' to the Expert Group, which some have interpreted as a stratagem to reject the Group's conclusions should there be conflict with Commission policy. It was felt that the EC would be pre-disposed to any recommendation to revise the current VAT Directive, which is still being discussed to find the way forward, providing the Group with the opportunity to produce radical proposals. Including reviewing the current VAT System with the potential to streamline the European tax regime and combat VAT fraud. The UK will need strong representation to ensure the national view is adequately represented, which SITPRO are investigating. It was quoted in the meeting that Finland was 'well-ahead' in implementing e-invoicing
A presentation from guest speaker, Ms K Wynn from Microgen, on e-business best practice in her company was well received. Microgen is an outsourced billing organisation providing a service for the Biller that wanted to maintain control of its billing process. Current major issues were environmental impact, compliance and value added services to improve the billing process and retain customer loyalty.
In an open discussion on UK requirements for e-invoicing, it was said that 'digital signature' was a very complex issue for implementation, with different approval systems across Europe also adding to the complexity. However, importance was given to providing a secure e-invoicing process with an effective audit trail using log-in systems to allow controlled access, secure transmission routes between commercial partners and tamper proof archiving. Members felt this demonstrated the requirement for business needs to be fully considered in the development of legal and administrative framework for the e-invoicing environment.
The next meeting will be held on 21 January 2009 starting at 10.30 in the Thorneycroft Suite at the SITPRO offices.
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