Modernization of the Dian: a pending task that has accountants in jeopardy

The National Tax and Customs Directorate (DIAN) is experiencing a technological crisis that has become a major concern for accountants and taxpayers in Colombia, primarily due to the Muisca platform, which manages the tax returns of millions of Colombians, which continues to be a headache during tax filing season.

Despite efforts to modernize it, this system continues to generate countless accessibility and operational problems; while recent failures have highlighted the pending task at this entity regarding the modernization of its platforms, a process that, despite efforts, does not appear to be yielding the expected results.

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Amid protests and sit-ins, the accounting guild denounces that this current situation is nothing new, and that every year, with the arrival of tax deadlines, accountants face a collapsed system that prevents them from efficiently meeting taxpayer demands.

To better understand what's happening, Portafolio spoke with several accounting professionals, who said that the interruptions in the Muisca platform, coupled with the high congestion generated by the concentration of due dates in a short period of time, have caused them anguish and stress, as they have been forced to work long hours, even unconventional schedules, to meet their deadlines.

Christian Quiñónez, former deputy director of inspection at the DIAN, clearly stated that the system does not have the capacity to receive all the declarations at the same time and believes it is prudent to declare an urgent emergency, because not only are accountants being affected, but also officials who are unable to perform their duties due to the system outage.

"The Muisca's inability to manage the workload during peak deadlines not only creates chaos among professionals in the field, but also among Dian employees themselves, who face the same technological limitations," this expert emphasized.

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A system that generates frustration

The most worrying aspect of all this is that the technological failures are not exclusive to this year, and despite the warnings and calls for action, there has been no improvement. According to Flor Estela Quiroga Mora, coordinator of the National Trade Committee of Public Accountants, inconsistencies in the Muisca platform have become part of her professional landscape.

“Every year, when taxpayers have a large number of formalities to submit, we are constantly submitting complaints about platform failures. This problem seems to have no end,” said Quiroga, who also questioned the fact that instead of addressing these root problems, temporary fixes have been implemented that only prolong the situation.

The problem falls not only on accountants and taxpayers, but also on the DIAN itself, which, as the tax collection agency, sees its ability to fulfill its functions jeopardized if it does not have a robust and reliable system at its disposal. Complaints about the system's instability increase as the deadlines for income tax, VAT, and withholding tax returns approach.

The lack of timely communication about the platform's status exacerbates the frustration of taxpayers, who are exposed to penalties for being unable to meet their obligations due to technological failures beyond their control.

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Meanwhile, Juan Felipe Arenas, president of the Accounting Association Conexión Contable, points out that the situation was more than expected, given that "last year we reported that the Dian's due date calendar wouldn't work with the Muisca platform. We created a technical committee with the taxpayer ombudsman's office, and, as expected, the system didn't work."

Given all of the above, once again this time, accountants, pressured by technological difficulties and approaching deadlines, have had to resort to protests and complaints to have the magnitude of the problems recognized and the emergency officially declared.

The delay in declaring the emergency is another point of criticism. It is noted here that, after pressure from accounting associations, the company finally decided to declare an emergency one day after the system went down, which generated even more stress among professionals in the sector.

While they appreciated the gesture, they made it clear that the system does not cover all the days affected by system failures, leaving many taxpayers in a situation of uncertainty and fear of penalties for not meeting the required deadlines.

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The impact on mental health

Long workdays, uncertainty about the system's ability to process returns, and a lack of assurances that there will be no penalties for delays not caused by accountants are seriously affecting the mental health of professionals. Many of them, as Quiñónez pointed out, are suffering from stress due to work overload and the pressure to meet imposed deadlines.

Regarding what's happening to accountants, Flavio Ortegón, senior accountant at Administro, a firm specializing in horizontal property, reported that "yesterday and the day before, the entry and validation process for filing withholdings, income tax returns, and VAT returns, among other processes, was extremely slow. I understand that the DIAN (National Tax Agency) recently announced that, due to its website being down, it was extending the deadlines for these types of procedures."

Despite the many criticisms and complaints, the modernization of the Muisca platform remains a pending task. Lisandro Junco, former director of the Dian (National Institute of National Research and Development), explained that in 2022, the resources to replace the system were ready, but progress has been halted.

" The reason for the current problems is that they interrupted the modernization process . $250 million had been set aside to implement a new system, but the Dian decided to continue investing resources in an outdated system," Junco said.

Thus, he reiterated the call for the necessary resources to be invested in updating technological platforms and designing a tax calendar that does not jeopardize the system's operation or the health of the professionals responsible for fulfilling these obligations, since confidence in the Colombian tax system depends on a modern, secure, and efficient infrastructure.

Meanwhile, accountants will continue to fight for their rights and for a solution that benefits not only the professionals in the sector, but all Colombians, who depend on a functioning tax system for the country's economic development.