June 2, 2008 – The first meeting of the Electronic Invoice Working Group was held from May 26 to 28, 2008, at CIAT’s Executive Secretariat in the city of Panama, with the purpose of setting parameters for the development of CIAT’s initiative about electronic invoices..

The working group is made up of representatives of member countries with different levels of experience in the implementation and use of the electronic invoice system. Present at the meeting were Carlos Sussumu Oda and Jerson Aloisio Prochnow from Brazil, Aída Patricia Burbano Mora from Colombia, Marcela Lacoste Troncoso from Chile, Juan Carlos Lalangui Ortiz and Marco Iván Vaca Salvador from Ecuador, Eloy Ruiz Madueño from Spain, and Graciela Raimundez and Daniel Laffitte from Uruguay. The meeting was opened by CIAT’s Executive Secretary Claudino Pita. Also present from the Executive Secretariat were Director of Operations Marcio Verdi, and Socorro Velásquez, an expert from the Technical Assistance Office.

One of the topics discussed at the meeting was the need to develop a profile of the major issues that a tax administration should address for the implementation of an electronic invoice system. In addition, the activities that CIAT should perform in order to assist member countries in implementing the electronic invoice system were agreed upon. Those activities will include, among others, expanding the profile of major issues and holding a workshop for member countries on the implementation of the electronic invoice system.