During the live broadcast on 28 April, hsp CEO Paul Liese once again spoke about the latest projects and developments at hsp. He began by expressing his gratitude for the many constructive, entertaining and exciting encounters at the StB EXPO in Munich. Paul then briefly pointed out that tax consultancy firms need to Money laundering We won’t be able to avoid it. Not because we consider it important, but because the authorities require it on pain of penalty. The hsp solution to money laundering provides security and clarity in a simple and cost-effective way.

However, that is not what this is about; rather, it is about the upcoming Opti.Tax Update 23.2, which is due to be released this summer. At the same time, hsp is currently working extensively behind the scenes. Concrete results are barely noticeable to outsiders or users. However, this work is vital to ensure we remain optimally positioned, both technologically and in terms of user experience, in the future. The resulting workload for the hsp team has led us to consider new, semi-automated testing methods. These could shorten the software testing process prior to each release and reduce the overall time required by the team.

At the start of the year, a partner approached hsp with a specific request: country-by-country reporting (CbCR). The implementation was proving complicated and prone to errors. Could hsp develop a workable CbCR solution? Paul demonstrated the solution – which is currently still being finalised – live on the programme. When a new client is created, the new item „International Exchange of Information (ELMA)“ appears in the „Client: Company Details“ window under the top section „Supported Content“. This category covers not only CbCR but also other cross-border topics such as DAC6. When activated, all the necessary information for CbCR appears when a new project is created for the client.

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Simple Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) with live support

When the project is created, only one report component appears, even though there should actually be three. These do exist, but two of them are not relevant for data entry and project management. They therefore run hidden in the background; in other words, they are simply invisible but are still taken into account. As is the case with other modules and projects, the software’s built-in automatic validation feature is also helpful for CbCR. This checks whether all the required fields have been completed correctly. Opti.Tax also provides users with helpful explanations for individual fields throughout the process.

Once all fields have been completed correctly, the ELMA submission can be made. However, before doing so, the ELMA certificate, the BZSt number and the user account ID must first be entered under „File -> Manage ELSTER certificate holders“. Once this has been done, the CbCR can be submitted to the authorities in just a few clicks. It should also be possible to retrieve data from the authorities’ servers for use within the software. The hsp team is still working on implementing this and is in close consultation with the relevant official bodies.

Apply for the new BAFA grant easily with Opti.Tax

The next topic concerns a new funding scheme from the BAFA. At the start of the pandemic, the BAFA launched a scheme enabling businesses to make use of consultancy services and receive a reimbursement of the costs. The new scheme allows for five consultancy projects, the costs of which are reimbursed at a rate of between 50 and 90 per cent, depending on the situation and individual case. There is a limit of a maximum of two consultancy projects per year. To receive reimbursement, companies must provide further details.

To demonstrate this, Paul created a new project with the project type „Process and Procedure Documentation“. In the final dialogue box, under „Further actions“, he clicked „Yes“ next to „Apply for BAFA funding“. Once the project has been created, new items appear under „Consultancy funding“. These consist of two questionnaires that the client must complete. If the practice and the client use the Opti.Tax Cloud, the questionnaires can be assigned to the client entirely in the form of interviews. The client can answer the questions directly on their computer and sign the documents digitally. The funding application is then submitted – as before – entirely digitally.