Electronic invoices: Small businesses 'complain' about deadlock due to technology barriers and costs

Many difficulties

The Government aims to have 2 million enterprises by 2030 according to Resolution No. 68 of the Politburo and the tax sector is taking drastic steps to modernize management.

According to the roadmap, from January 1, 2026, the lump-sum tax will be abolished, and business households will completely switch to the method of declaring and issuing electronic invoices connected to the tax authorities. However, the invoice conversion process is facing some difficulties that need to be resolved.

At the seminar "Removing obstacles in electronic invoices, aiming for 2 million businesses" on August 20, Ms. Nguyen Thai Trang, a trader with 32 years of experience at An Dong wholesale market ( Ho Chi Minh City) frankly shared that the burden of applying electronic invoices comes not only from getting used to the technology but also from the pressure of huge costs and conflicts between regulations.

"To meet the regulations, we have to purchase many devices such as laptops, barcode printers, A4 printers... With a kiosk only 2 square meters wide, hiring an additional accountant with a salary of 8-9 million/month is too much," Ms. Trang analyzed.

This trader also pointed out a big paradox when wholesalers are "sandwiched" between two management agencies. In particular, the regulation requiring invoices to be issued at the time of sale goes against the business reality of the wholesale industry, causing great pressure on cash flow.

"After 32 years in business, I have never been as stuck as I am now, stuck between management policies," Ms. Trang expressed.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thuy, a small business owner with 39 years of experience, said that the biggest obstacle for older people like her is technology. The roadmap to abolish lump-sum tax with only a few months left is too urgent.

"Recently, more than 1,000 households bought accounting software for 1-2 million VND, but no one knew how to use it all. This causes great waste in difficult business times," Ms. Thuy said.

Ms. Thuy also mentioned the unreasonableness of the current lump-sum tax. For more than 10 years, she has paid 5,175,000 VND/month in taxes, while her actual daily revenue is less than 1 million VND. Therefore, she suggested that taxes should be applied according to actual revenue.

Not only small businesses, but also enterprises face many difficulties. Mr. Vo Quang Phuc - General Director of Mekong Vietnam Trade Development Joint Stock Company pointed out a serious bottleneck, which is unfair competition. Pioneering enterprises that comply with electronic invoices must add costs to their prices, leading to higher selling prices and difficulty in competing with businesses that have not yet implemented them.

"This could lead to the risk of revenue loss and reduced business efficiency for those who follow the policy if the situation persists," Mr. Phuc worried.

According to business households and enterprises, although the e-invoice policy is correct, the roadmap and implementation method need to be carefully reviewed so that the policy can truly come into life, supporting business development instead of creating more burdens for them.

Technology enterprises and tax authorities pledge to work together

Acknowledging the difficulties of small traders and businesses, representatives of technology solution providers and tax authorities have made many specific support commitments, affirming that businesses will not be alone in the transition process.

Acknowledging that accounting staff costs are a huge burden, technology businesses say they have flexible solutions to solve this problem.

Mr. Nguyen Gia Bao Long - Haravan Business Development Director said that the unit not only provides multi-channel sales management solutions with integrated electronic invoices on phones, but also has attractive incentive packages.

"We are currently providing three months of free support for the sales management solution with integrated electronic invoices. The purpose is to help small businesses see the dual benefits: both complying with the law and managing their business effectively," said Mr. Long.

On the telecommunications service provider side, Mr. Nguyen Quoc An - Deputy Director of the Organizational and Enterprise Customer Department of VNPT , affirmed that the unit has a comprehensive solution ecosystem, from simple for small traders who only need a smartphone to more complex systems. VNPT's biggest strength is its extensive support network.

"In addition to the 24/7 free hotline, VNPT also arranges staff to each ward and commune to directly support and guide customers. The interfaces on our application are also designed simply so that everyone can easily access them," Mr. An pledged.

Representative of the management agency, Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department said that the tax sector has been implementing a series of practical support solutions, focusing on taxpayers.

The most important highlight is the commitment to work with suppliers to provide free electronic invoice solutions for nearly 250,000 business households that must switch to the declaration method by 2026.

In addition, other synchronous solutions are also being vigorously implemented. Tax officers will coordinate with software suppliers to visit businesses to support installation and user instructions, even outside of business hours. Build a technical support channel from suppliers to handle problems immediately.

Mr. Dung said that the tax sector will continue to record problems to propose to superiors to amend tax regulations and laws in the direction of simplifying procedures. Thereby creating an equal and transparent business environment, helping business households develop stably and sustainably.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, the path from policy to practice has never been a straight line, especially when it directly impacts more than 5 million business households, a dynamic but also fragile economic sector with many resource limitations.

The most important thing is to strengthen the belief that the State and the tax sector are truly accompanying and supporting, not just monitoring and inspecting...

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/chuyen-doi-so/hoa-don-dien-tu-tieu-thuong-than-be-tac-vi-rao-can-cong-nghe-va-chi-phi/20250820060606544