The demand for tax services and accounting consultancies took off with the entry into force of the Organic Law for Economic Development and Fiscal Sustainability. The changes brought by the standard were the determining factor for this activity to move towards its recovery from the beginning of 2022.
adriana lopez, coordinator of the Union of Ecuadorian Accountants, which groups some 2,000 professionals from all over the country, explains that in 2020 there was a decrease in the demand for accountant services by almost 60%. “With the simplification of processes and the closure of some businesses, in that year some taxpayers dispensed with the work of accountants partially or permanently.”
However, for 2022 it mentions that that margin of loss has been reduced, since the activity recovered in January by at least 20% and they expect it to continue rising at least until mid-year.
Free and paid workshops on the new provisions for the tax return and details of the new regime for entrepreneurs and popular businesses (Rimpe), personalized advice to update the management of Office utilities and the Internal Revenue Service online (SRI), communities of accountants in social networks, such as WhatsApp and Facebook, and even campaigns of mailing are some of the Strategies that have been applied to get more taxpayers interested in hiring a head tax professional.
López cites, for example, that with the current changes in the deduction of personal expenses and with the creation of Rimpe, there was a greater opening to the hiring of professional services. In the first case, the frequent doubts are to know the limit of personal expenses that will be used to calculate the reduction of the income tax (which is $ 5,037.55 in 2022) and how much the monthly retention of the same tax will be.
“There are too many doubts and uncertainties about the Rimpe: how to do the procedures, how to know if they are included in the cadastre, how to present the documents, the taxes. That’s when they look for us,” says López.
Although the procedures are personal, there are those who seek advice in places that offer these services.
SRI published the registry of businesses and enterprises that will be subject to Rimpe
The Union of Ecuadorian Accountants points out that they went from receiving 20 or 30 daily questions on their Facebook page until November to receiving 60 daily inquiries between December 2021 and January of this year.
Weekly, in addition, they carry out three to four training sessions; before they organized at least one a week. Of the latter, at least half already have a cost that starts at $30. For example, training on electronic invoicing costs $49.
According the president of the National Federation of Accountants, Idrián Estrella, in the last year the work has been focused on highlighting that the accountant’s job is the same as that of an architect, engineer or doctor. In that sense, he explains that there are referential rates that are handled throughout the sector and that they are not unrelated to those that are canceled for a professional service of any kind. “It is working to change the ‘chip’ that the professional services of accountants are cancelled. We’ve been used to things being free.”
For example, he cited that a tax return job (which includes the calculation, advice and the entire procedure in the online SRI) is quoted in at least 10% of the recovery that is made, either in value added tax or rent. In other words, if a person can recover $200 in taxes, the payment to the accountant for the procedure could be $20. Likewise, for a company that generates a refund of $2,000, the payment would be $100 to $200. .
In the case of a comprehensive task that includes the total accounting service of a company, it can be around $700.
Gabriella Sanchez and Julio Recaldefor example, are certified public accountants (CPA) with diplomas in taxation since 2013. In April 2020 they were separated from the company where they provided their services in Guayaquil and in September 2021 they decided to work independently. Monthly, they generated income of up to $400; but since January they have increased them to almost $900.
“In December of last year, one of the enterprises with which we worked in 2020 called me to help them with everything that had to do with Rimpe and to be their permanent accountants. Then the business owner recommended us to three other people who wanted the same service.” Currently, the couple keeps accounting records and tax procedures for four mini markets and two ventures in Guayaquil and Durán. For the next month, in fact, they are considering hiring a person.
Ximena Viteri, an accountant domiciled in Quito, said that, out of six client requests for tax return work, she now has ten; and of that number, half are individuals and small business owners.
This way you can calculate the income tax in Ecuador and know if it applies to a reduction
For Viteri, one of the challenges of his profession is the struggle to recognize the work of the accountant and not minimize it. “It is to ensure that the values that are set are not refuted,” she pointed out.
In the country, according to the National Federation of Accountants, there are almost 300,000 professionals nationwide, concentrated mostly in the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, Manabí, Tungurahua and El Oro. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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