The SAF-T file (Standard Audit File for Tax Purposes) is a standardized file that gathers a set of commercial transactions during a certain period, and its communication to the AGT (General Tax Administration) is mandatory in accordance with the current tax legislation. It is a file in electronic xml format, which has a data structure standardized to any invoicing program certified by AGT.
In the Angolan market, we do monthly reports of two versions of SAF-T, namely: SAF-T for sales and SAF-T for acquisitions.
The first, the SAF-T of sales, is related to the sales or services rendered to the customers of a specific company. On the other hand, the SAF-T of acquisitions is directed to the acquisition of goods and services (ABS) carried out by the company during this period.
We have verified that AGT’s demand has been greater regarding the detail of the content of these files, namely in the ABS SAF-T, as we will explain.
One of the most recent changes in the ABS SAF-T for which it was necessary to intervene with new parameterizations at the level of the accounting software, is when a certain supplier issues a Credit Note on a previously issued invoice, and this is registered in the company’s ERP. For the SAF-T file to be sent and approved by the AGT, we now incorporate the detail to which invoices refer to this CN, and thus, it is easily possible to cross by reading the file, which invoice was initially issued, and which invoice Credit that is cancelling it, either for the total or partial amount.
Another recent development in which a new intervention was needed in terms of ERP parameterization was to identify in more detail if the good or service that the company acquired is exempt from VAT, or if it is not exempt, separate by rate of VAT applied, and whether these goods or services are deductible in accordance with the respective tax legislation in force.
It should be noted that so far AGT has not raised any question on this topic than what is being reported in SAF-T, however, and as already verified internally at On.Corporate, if there have been any developments in the structure and content of this information, which is reported monthly, therefore, it is synonymous with the fact that AGT has not forgotten this subject, and that someone has been working to develop and shape the information they receive, probably for better reading and detail, and that we believe to be one of the points to be analysed in a tax inspection, for example.
We proactively monitor this and other issues, so that we can intervene, solve, develop, and apply, so that we are in compliance with all tax requirements, and thus, ensure the provision of excellent services to our customers.
Hugo Augusto
Senior Consultant
