Consumers queuing at cash registers. Hà Nội, HCM City and Hải Phòng are taking steps to implement the generation of e-invoices from cash registers. — Photo vietnambiz.vn

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội, HCM City and Hải Phòng are getting ready to promote the implementation of e-invoices generated from cash registers, part of the effort to tighten tax management in the retail industry.

These are the first three localities selected for the pilot roll-out of e-invoices generated from cash registers in the first stage which started on December 15.

Chairman of Hà Nội People’s Committee Trần Sỹ Thanh on Wednesday issued a directive on the generation of e-invoices from cash registers throughout the city.

Implementing e-invoices from cash registers was identified as one of the key tasks in the digital transformation of the municipal Department of Taxation this year, the department’s Deputy Director Nguyễn Anh Dũng said.

The department organised conferences to provide training and create opportunities for exchange between the tax management agency, solution providers and tax-payers.

“The most important factor for the successful implementation of e-invoices generated from cash registers is the consent of taxpayers and local residents,” Dũng said, adding that many taxpayers were still hesitant to switch to this method.

More than 6,800 retail establishments were subject to this programme by February 13.

It was necessary to increase communication to raise taxpayers’ awareness of e-invoices generated from cash registers, he said.

He added that generating e-invoices from cash registers was convenient for taxpayers. It also supports tax authorities in having a database of goods and services transactions to serve tax management and combat fraud and tax evasion.

Still, many taxpayers were are hesitant to register for the generation of e-invoices from cash registers.

In HCM City, for example, the number of taxpayers registering to switch to the generation of e-invoices from cash registers remains modest, with only 278 taxpayers successfully registering as of February 26.

It is estimated that 266 enterprises and more than 5,268 business households are subject to the implementation.

One of the reasons for the hesitation is that generating e-invoices from cash registers has not been made compulsory. Existing regulations still allow taxpayers to use different forms of e-invoices at the same time.

In addition, business households are still worried about the cost to upgrade the software system for the generation of e-invoices from cash registers, especially retail chains.

HCM City plans that all taxpayers subject to this programme in the first phase would be successfully registered by March 15 and by October 31 for the second phase.

Deputy Director of HCM City Department of Taxation Nguyễn Tiến Dũng said that the city would issue a directive on enhancing coordination to implement the generation of e-invoices from cash registers in the southern city. — VNS