Economists see “legal uncertainty” and SMEs regret losing “years of work”

The president of General Council of Economists of Spain (CGE), Miguel Ángel Vázquez Taín, and the president of the Registry of Tax Advisory Economists (REAF-CGE), Agustín Fernández, have warned this Wednesday of the legal uncertainty that the Government’s decision to postpone the entry into force of the Treasury system for the verification of electronic invoices (Verifactu) has generated for companies for one year.

“The majority of businessmen They had already planned their resources and organized the adaptation of their systems trusting in the initially established deadlines, so such a late change complicates its internal organization and raises doubts about the stability of the regulatory framework,” they warned.

Although they recognize that the extension to January 2027 may offer a respite for companies that were still in the adaptation phase to implement Verifactu, both warn that, for the vast majority of the business community, this extension means “reschedule tasks, review technological investments and assume additional costs derived from last minute adjustments“These changes, according to the heads of the CGE and REAF, “especially affect businesses with less administrative capacity and less margin to absorb unforeseen events.”

In this context, they have shown that It is essential that the deadlines for the entry into force of the regulations are not modified at the last minute and that these remain stable over time to allow companies and entrepreneurs to plan safely and adapt their processes without uncertainty. The system, designed to automatically send the invoice record to the Tax Agency and reinforce traceability and the fight against fraud, was scheduled to be launched in 2025, but was previously delayed on a couple of other occasions due to technical difficulties, the cost of implementation for small businesses and pressure from employers.

“We positively value the measure of giving more time to companies, especially SMEs and the self-employed, to adapt to this transformation,” says Jesús Molina, Head of Partners at Dojo, a provider of paid tools, who recalls that until November 2025, only 8% of SMEs and the self-employed had implemented it, according to Ipsos. “However, it is important to be clear about the horizon. If the adoption is not carried out in 2026, businesses will move away from the European guidelines that seek to harmonize taxation and accounting control.”

The decree law that the Council of Ministers that was published this Wednesday in the BOE – and included in the framework of the Government’s commitments to Junts – despite assuming a “relief” to the business fabric, It has generated deep discomfort in managers, advisors and consultants who had been working for years to prepare their clients for Verifactu.

“We have dedicated three years to preparing hundreds of SMEs, and without prior announcement they tell us that there will be another year”says Yannick Charton, CEO of Valio Consulting, an accounting and tax consulting firm that denounces the uncertainty generated by this new postponement and the blow for professionals who had complied with the adaptation requirement. “Time and effort has been invested in accompanying our clients, establishing technological alliances to reach the last day of the year with everything in order. And less than a month later they announce another extension.”

Charton also warns that the extension comes at a time when many companies had already undertaken the economic and operational effort to adapt: ​​“Many SMEs have left their traditional IT systems behind to switch to new technological solutions. It is a shame that, due to a political fact“We have worked more on building customer loyalty by testing programs and proposing solutions than on serving new customers,” he denounces.

It is a shame that, due to a political fact, we have worked more on building customer loyalty by testing programs and proposing solutions than on serving new customers.

“This is crazy. Thousands of freelancers, companies and advisors have been spending money, time and energy for months adapting. Software, training, consulting, hardware… everything. And now they say it’s not necessary,” protests the self-employed Hugo Lago. “More than 700 million euros thrown into the trash. And the worst thing is not the money, it is the feeling of disaster, improvisation and total lack of seriousness. Those of us who comply are those who pay the price. Because in this country, planning is expensive, and improvising is always free. Spain, at a legal level, is a circus.”

“When many self-employed people have already paid for the programs to adapt, they tell us no… that now in 2027… They want to burn down their beach bar,” says another self-employed person, Juan Lozano. “The self-employed and companies have invested a lot of time and money to comply with verifactu and now it is no longer necessary. This is the way these useless people govern, at the mercy of everything and without caring about the consequences of their incompetence for millions of people,” adds user Frodobolson.