The European Commission will this month launch a public consultation process observers predict could result in a push for standardized or centralized electronic value-added tax invoicing for intra-EU transactions.
Requiring companies to issue invoices electronically has been effective in helping countries tackle VAT leakage, which stood at €134 billion ($152 billion) in the EU in 2019. At least 13 European Union countries have an e-invoicing system or plan to implement one, but the systems are wildly different—creating administrative headaches for companies.
“It’s too late for the commission to really force for standardization,” said Christiaan van der Valk, vice president ...