Pre-read What is SAF-T, and Why Should You Care?
In Angola, the Standard Audit File for Tax (SAF-T) was introduced in July 2019 as part of the country’s implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) regime and the new Legal Regime of Invoices and Equivalent Documents. The main objective of SAF-T in Angola is to enable a more efficient and effective exchange of transactional data between taxpayers and the Angolan General Tax Administration (AGT).
Under the new legal regime, taxpayers with annual turnover exceeding 250,000 USD are required to use validated billing systems. These validated billing systems are based on four pillars:
- Fulfilling applicable rules on physical and electronic documents.
- Application controls that identify subsequent changes, ensure user authentication, and prevent unexpected data manipulation of relevant tax data.
- Generating a unique code (Hash) for each document, enabling the identification of unexpected changes in the document’s data.
- Generating the SAF-T (AO) file.
The SAF-T (AO) file is a standardized XML format file that must be exported from accounting, billing, and logistic systems for a specific fiscal period, which can be either partial or a complete annual file for a maximum of one fiscal year. Taxpayers are required to submit the SAF-T (AO) files related to billing, accounting, and inventory elements to the AGT for the previous month’s operations by the 20th of the following month. This communication can be done through various channels, including uploading the file on the AGT web portal or using web services.
Initially, the Legal Regime of the Electronic Communication of the Accounting and Billing Elements was mandatory for Major Taxpayers and voluntary for other taxpayers with a turnover or imports higher than 50,000,000 Kz during 2019. However, starting from the year 2020, the obligation was extended to all taxpayers with turnover or imports higher than 50,000,000 Kz.
The implementation of SAF-T in Angola is seen as a significant step in the country’s tax system, as it aims to standardize accounting and billing information, simplifying interactions between taxpayers and the AGT. However, its introduction may also raise questions and challenges for taxpayers, such as validating billing systems, ensuring compliance with the required standards, and addressing technical and functional requirements for data processing.
Overall, SAF-T in Angola is an important tool to enhance tax compliance and streamline tax reporting processes for businesses operating in the country. Taxpayers are encouraged to comply with the SAF-T requirements and seek professional assistance if needed to ensure a smooth transition and adherence to the new regulations.
Source
- PwC
- Angola Standard Audit File for Tax SAF-T
- Certification of invoicing system and filing of two monthly SAF-T reports required per 1 July 2019
- Join the Linkedin Group on Global E-Invoicing/E-Reporting/SAF-T Developments, click HERE
- Join the LinkedIn Group on ”VAT in the Digital Age” (VIDA), click HERE
