BESSER digital
“Fewer documents, faster exchange and up-to-the-minute monitoring – digitalisation facilitates tax processes immensely.” However, the path to paperless accounting also conceals numerous challenges. Step by step, Andreas Besser makes his clients fit for the change to digital.
GoBD – four letters, many interpretations.
Since 2015 the “Generally accepted principles of accounting and storage of books, records and documents in electronic form, as well on as data access” have been in force. This means that every company, but also freelancers, doctors and lawyers, must in future store tax documents and have them available digitally if they have already been generated electronically. What is particularly relevant here is the correct recording of cash receipts – otherwise an audit may quickly bring the threat of high penalties.
Paper receipt meets fully electronic tax return
“In the implementation of the statutory requirements the motto applies: if it has to be done, it has to be done. There is no point in doing things by halves. We make sector-specific checks to establish which processes can be digitalised and recommend appropriate (IT) solutions,” Andreas Besser describes his approach. In this, the consultancy has been working confidently with DATEV for years and relies on its GoBD-compliant application “Unternehmen Online” [“Company online”]. As a market leader, DATEV guarantees the highest data security and durability and integrates statutory requirements directly into the product.
Automation is good, control is better
In future most of the data will be recorded electronically, exchanged virtually and subjected to automated auditing – this saves time and resources but also entails risks. “Digitalisation does not mean that in future everything will take care of itself. It is particularly in automated processes that mistakes are easily overlooked,” emphasises Andreas Besser. “As tax consultants, we ensure that the data supplied by health insurance funds, chambers and other institutions is correct, expose discrepancies and ensure that the four letters actually bring benefits.”