UK businesses urged 'have your say' on time saving electronic invoicing

UK businesses are, for the 1st time, being invited to have their say on the Government's electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) proposals.

E-invoicing is the digital exchange of invoice information directly between buyers and suppliers. It could help businesses get their tax right 1st time, reduce invoicing and data errors, improve the accuracy of VAT returns, help close the tax gap and save time and money. It usually results in faster business to business payments, leading to improved cash flow and less paperwork.

This will help cut down time and resources businesses spend managing their tax affairs so they can be more productive. It forms part of the Prime Minister's Plan for Change for a tax system that supports economic growth.

Examples of where e-invoicing has improved cash flow include:-

Australian Government agencies who are paying their suppliers within 5 days compared to 20 days for other forms of invoices.
A UK NHS trust where e-invoices are ready for processing within 24 hours, compared to 10 days under paper invoicing. Their e-invoices are typically paid almost twice as quickly than paper invoices, with supplier queries reduced by an average of 15%.

Examples of the wider benefits to business of e-invoicing are highlighted by software providers:-

Xero see e-invoicing as the next digital revolution for small firms, simplifying how businesses invoice customers and get paid faster. Firms will save money on chasing payments, improve cash flow and reduce fraud risks.
A published business research report from Sage shows that e-invoicing streamlines routine tasks like data entry and tax filing, driving annual productivity gains of around 3% in the UK, supporting the Government's broader growth agenda.

The 12 week consultation:- 'Promoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector' was published on:- 13 February 2025 by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The deadline for comment is:- 7 May 2025.

James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury said:- "As part of the Prime Minister's Plan for Change, we have begun our work to transform the UK's tax system into 1 that is focused on helping businesses and the economy to grow. E-invoicing simplifies processes, reduces errors and helps businesses to get paid faster. By cutting paperwork and freeing up valuable time and money, it will help improve firms' productivity and their ability to grow and succeed."

Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, said:- "Small businesses are at the heart of our economy and vital to our growth mission. The potential of digitising taxes, speeding up payments and streamlining administrative tasks will provide real benefits to the economy, supporting smaller firms and boosting growth. This is why we want to make sure e-invoicing works for SMEs, because cash flow can make all the difference between staying afloat or going under."

The consultation applies to business invoicing. It will gather views on standardising e-invoicing and how to increase its adoption across UK businesses and the public sector. It also explores how different e-invoicing models could align a business with their customers' businesses. People can take part whether or not they currently use e-invoicing.

HMRC and the DBT want to hear the opinions of self employed people, businesses of all sizes, representative and industry bodies, charities and public sector organisations.

Topics that the Government is interested in exploring include:-

Different models of e-invoicing.
Whether to take a mandated or voluntary approach to e-invoicing, and what scope of mandate might be most appropriate in the UK and for businesses.
Whether e-invoicing should be complemented by real time digital reporting.

The Government will also engage with a broad range of businesses and interested stakeholders to secure their views at various events, including face-to-face discussions.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, hosted a business round table at the Darlington Economic Campus and Government Hub on 13 February 2025, where he and Business and Trade Minister, Gareth Thomas, discussed the consultation and listened to the opinions of industry bodies, regional stakeholders and local businesses in the North East.

It followed a visit earlier in the day by James Murray MP to software developer Sage's Newcastle headquarters, where he met with accountants to discuss Government support for small businesses and how HMRC is working to deliver its priorities. Sage is 1 of the providers of software for HMRC's Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme. A full list of software providers for MTD can be found on:- GOV.UK.

What will happen to the rubble removed from sand dunes at the Freshfield National Trust site?

IN 2025 the National Trust Formby will be starting a major conservation project to remove huge amounts of rubble and restore rare sand dune habitats in the Victoria Road (Red Squirrel Reserve) area in Freshfield.

The National Trust have said that:- "This project will bring long lasting benefits for both people and wildlife. As we start to prepare the site for the project work, we�re going back to where it all began and answering some frequently asked questions about the rubble. We have issued the following information to explain what will happen to it..."

What will happen to the rubble?

The team have spent many years working with conservation experts to explore potential solutions to the issues the rubble is causing for wildlife and people.
An options analysis was carried out for the planning application and Environmental Impact Assessment, including:- removing the rubble by sea or land, re-purposing it for a replacement car park in various locations on site, or leaving it as is.
Processing and reusing the rubble on-site in an existing hollow as the sub-base for a replacement car park further inland was the most viable solution to create bigger, more connected, and healthier dune habitats for wildlife.
Unusable elements will be safely transported off site.
Recycling the rubble in this way will also ensure there is space for people to park and enjoy Formby for years to come.

The image below shows the Victoria Road beach car park back in the 1980s and the rough location of where the sand dunes are today; that is around 1/3 of the parking spaces have been reclaimed by natural dune rollback.