Cabinet clears first step towards e-invoicing for VAT businesses

Sri Lanka has taken its first step toward a long-delayed shift into electronic invoicing, with the Cabinet approving a crucial upgrade to the Inland Revenue Department’s (IRD) digital backbone.
The move is towards modernising tax administration and closing long-standing compliance gaps.
In a move presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Cabinet has provided clearance to secure technical services from Singapore’s NCS Solutions Pvt. Ltd to enhance the Revenue Administration Management Information System (RAMIS). 
The upgrade will introduce a secure Web API facility, giving VAT-registered businesses the ability to interface directly with the tax authorities.
While Sri Lanka is yet to join the growing list of economies that run real-time electronic invoicing systems, officials have been studying global models to chart the country’s own pathway.