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Security issues with electronic invoices

(invoice.secvuln.info)
91 points todsacerdoti | 3 comments | 12 Dec 25 20:28 UTC | HN request time: 0.009s | source
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clickety_clack ◴[12 Dec 25 21:05 UTC] No.46248939[source]▶
A standard for invoices seems like something that an accounting body should create that is optional for businesses, not something mandatory created by the government. People will generally follow an optional standard to make their own lives easier, but a mandatory one introduces a compliance middleman into the invoicing process.
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1. perlgeek ◴[12 Dec 25 22:13 UTC] No.46249639[source]▶
In the EU there is the "reverse charge" mechanism for VAT when commerce crosses country borders, and it is often used for defrauding EU countries / governments.

The invoicing standard is an attempt to mitigate reverse charge fraud by gathering more machine-readable data. Some countries even demand that b2b invoices are sent to the country, which then dispatches a copy to the recipient.

Knowing this background, it's pretty clear why the EU is making it mandatory.

Personally, in the abstract I like the idea to mandate the use of an open standard, I think we have way too many inefficiencies from treating many things as text documents that could be data structures. I don't like this particular standard though, it's bloated and the result of a typical top-down process.

I much prefer it when there are competing standards for a while, and one or a couple of winner emerge on technical merits. THEN I have no objections to a regulatory body picking a standard and mandating it.

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2. looperhacks ◴[12 Dec 25 22:20 UTC] No.46249711[source]▶
As I understood it, this _is_ the standard that won. It's not like the EU invented it.
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3. daliusd ◴[12 Dec 25 22:49 UTC] No.46250005[source]▶
As far as I understand there are multiple XML invoice formats and EN 16931 accepts at least two: UBL and CII. At least in theory. I have no idea how it is going to work out in practice, but I will learn the hard way :-) I have invoicing software as side-project and I have decided to make it usable in EU.