It seems that nearly every day, another nation falls in line, like a domino, with other countries that have embraced electronic invoicing. The latest to do so is Switzerland, which recently announced that as of January 1, 2016, suppliers to the Federal Administration with contracts valued at or above 5000 CHF will be required to utilize e-invoices.
While the Swiss Federal Administration has been capable of receiving and processing invoices electronically since 2012, their use has not been widespread. Unlike the majority of nations that have mandated electronic invoicing to reduce fraud, the Swiss have opted for it both to reduce the use of paper and streamline government processes. Because of that, the pending mandate will not impact small businesses, at least for now.
January 1, 2015 is an important date in Ecuador as e-invoicing in that country nears. While electronically transmitted invoicing has been available in that South American nation since 2012, Ecuador’s Internal Revenue Service decreed the system will be compulsory for various taxpayer groups beginning January 1. The overall goal of the Ecuadoran e-invoice system is to deter tax evasion while increasing cost savings.
Meanwhile, another South American nation is eyeing electronic invoicing, but the system won’t be operational until at least 2017.
Peruvian taxpayers have been able to pay bills electronically on a voluntary basis since 2010. However, this past year, the Peruvian government required approximately 250 of the nation’s largest companies to institute an electronic billing system as of October 1, 2014.
While legislation requiring private citizens in Peru to participate in the electronic payment of bills is not currently pending, there have been numerous legislative discussions to require some semblance of e-payments by private citizens by 2017.
A market report summarizing global opportunities for electronic invoicing and billing recently released by Billentis, a globally recognized industry analyst in the e-invoice world, demonstrates growing acceptance of e-payments worldwide. According to the report, the international market for electronic invoicing is expected to grow at a rate of 20-25 percent in the coming years.
Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer who can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or @girlwithapen.