The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has provided companies more time to file their taxes because not all companies are ready for the new e-filing method.
The announcement stated that after suggestions from the private sector, the Ministry of Economy and Finance decided to delay it from June to August. However, the GDT claims that companies that have already been using the e-filing should still continue to use the system as normal.
“[The delay] is to provide times for companies to train staff with its full implementation will then start from September this year,” an announcement read, “GDT hopes the measure would help facilitate all taxpayers to fulfill their tax obligations.”
The GDT officially put into operation an electronic filing system for all medium and large taxpayers starting this month.
GDT Director-General Kong Vibol said during the current development of the e-tax service online early this month that at present the taxation department has been aggressively developing its automatic system to provide fast, quick, transparent and convenient tax services to all taxpayers.
He said that e-filing is available only to medium and large taxpayers, while the taxation department has designed another mobile application for small-scale taxpayers.
Te Taing Por, president of the Federation Association for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC) welcomed the government’s move to transform the country doing business to a digital base, saying that digital-based human resource development is the need to move to the so-called fourth industrial revolution, known as industry 4.0.
“Our digital-related human resource is still limited and I think the GDT’s decision to delay the use of e-filing will provide more times for businesses because not all the companies are ready for the technology system,” he said.
Taing Por insists the relevant parties join hands to promote a more digital-based knowledge among entrepreneurs and the public. “The main thing that needs to be done is to promote online or digital public awareness by holding training and workshops to develop basic knowledge,” he said, raising as an example that the SME Bank of Cambodia is a case in point.
“The government announced four years ago it was establishing the body but most entrepreneurs did nothing and this is because we lacked public awareness,” he said.
Doing business digitally or online will help a lot in reducing costs by up to 50 percent. It also reduces corruption as well by eliminating “under-the-table payments”, Taing Por added.
The government announced online business registration last week that would make things easier during the Coronavirus pandemic.
So far, the department has launched many e-tax services, including e-payments, e-registrations, e-data, e-uploaders, e-VAT and e-filing.
