Benefits of the Avatar ERA solution

broadens the tax base though increased domestic tax collection, lower cost of compliance and reduced revenue leakage
eliminates red tape and increases ease of compliance for vendors
lowers cost of collection for fiscal authorities
increases efficiency of tax administration

The Avatar ERA solution provides

new fiscal auditing tools at central and local levels
VAT-compliant electronic Sales Data Controller (SDC) devices to all merchants and traders
greater transparency and fairer tax collection practices
improved fiscal infrastructure security
improved information exchange between relevant government entities

Unique characteristics of the Avatar Electronic Revenue Assurance (ERA) solution

Governments bring the consumer into the compliance circle with the introduction of an online fiscal lottery to reward all consumers who request and retain their VAT-return confirmation tickets at the point of sale. The Avatar invoicing system can transmit the lottery ticket to the consumer electronically—by SMS. This allows governments to have access to real-time, highly secure sales and fiscal data at the point of sale, and a VAT-compliant environment is created.

Our Solution offers:

robust EFD devices to suit all vendor environments, including those with limited access to power or other supporting infrastructures
battery-operated devices for environments with frequent power outages
devices operating multiple SIM cards, to reduce downtime and lost sales as a result of communication failures
backup systems in the event of a total system failure caused by loss of power and/or inactive telecom GPRS networks
secure back-up with call centre agent assistance for sales declarations and issuing of electronic VAT ticket through simple technologies and processes—USSD, secure SMS or IVR—in case of a complete failure of the merchant’s devices

Other benefits of the Avatar Electronic Revenue Assurance Solution:

seamless integration between EFD devices and data servers
secure data warehousing facilities
real-time information management allowing for close monitoring of EFD device usage
100% intrusion-proof network
customer-incentive strategies to increase compliance

The Avatar platform

We were aware of the shortcomings of other electronic fiscal devices and platforms currently deployed across Africa and world-wide—which motivated us to develop an optimal solution to deliver measurable results consistently and cost-effectively, in a variety of environmental and infrastructural conditions.

Why the Avatar platform is suitable for any market:

multiple layers of redundancy throughout the system—devices support several SIM cards—to provide redundancy on the GPRS transmission layer
Border Gateway Control protocols implemented to provide dual data link connectivity between Avatar and the government department in control
real-time transmission of transactions between devices and Avatar servers
network integrity monitoring system with real-time alerts in the event of malfunction anywhere in the system
comprehensive dashboard enables authorised users to monitor the network and device activities in real time, while the business-intelligence layer allows for quick decision-making
communication links and an information platform operated on a secure private network creates a secure and closed ecosystem with no contact with the Internet
real-time data replication
remote device management
fail-proof security protocols at device, network and user levels
dynamic, flexible, customisable and scalable architecture.

Compliance is easy and value-added services win over the customer.

We understand that even a perfectly designed electronic invoicing solution cannot succeed without the willing participation of the taxpaying customers, so our solution incorporates a number of benefits for the customers themselves–to create value, ease the burden of compliance and improve cost-effectiveness.

Avatar’s business approach includes the following benefits and incentives for the taxpayer, facilitating the introduction and imposition of the electronic fiscal declaration network by the authorities:

free online accounting software for all traders who are VAT-compliant
secure data warehousing facilities
seamless integration with revenue authority systems—no need for the customer to purchase additional expensive hardware—cost of compliance is very low
real-time access to electronic sales ledgers for bookkeepers or accountants to monitor VAT declarations, make corrections and process merchandise returns
generation of automatic tax declarations subject to review by the user before submission to the Revenue Authority
immediate calculation and processing— improves cash flow for the business
more transparent and accurate calculation of tax liabilities, thus allowing businesses to plan timing of payments more efficiently
permanent backup and archiving of all financial records, remote access for the customer in the event of device or personal computer failure