The Cost Savings, Enablers and Barriers of Electronic Invoicing in Belgium
20 Pages Posted: 10 Jan 2015 Last revised: 12 Jan 2015
Date Written: January 8, 2015
Abstract
Governments around the world have identified the advancement of electronic invoicing in private sector companies as a crucial policy measure for tackling administrative burdens. This paper examines, for the first time, the total overall cost of invoicing for private sector companies in Belgium as well as the potential savings of electronic invoicing. In 2013 the total cost of invoicing in private sector companies amounts to €3,77 billion (0,97% GDP), which would be reduced to €1,46 billion (0,38% GDP) if all invoices were sent electronically. Furthermore, our analysis of both barriers and enablers of e-invoicing in Belgium reveals that on the one hand a majority of private sector companies welcome the efficiency gains realised by e-invoicing, although uncertainty remains regarding the safety of e-invoicing. Moreover, a majority of companies state that governments should provide more information on how to efficiently implement e-invoicing.
Keywords: Administrative burdens, administrative simplification, Belgium, cost savings, e-invoicing, policy
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