Accountants will act as a form of “oversight authority” during the company formation process to reduce tax non-compliance with the General Tax Administration (AGT). In a company’s first year, even if it has not made any sales or purchases, it is still required to file accounts and submit tax declarations to the AGT.
As of 1 January 2026, it is no longer possible to register a company through Angola’s One-Stop Business Registry (GUE) without the involvement of an accountant certified by the Order of Accountants and Accounting Experts of Angola (OCPCA), according to information obtained by Expansão from both the professional body and the GUE.
The requirement for an OCPCA-certified accountant is intended to prevent tax non-compliance and reduce the number of companies that are created every day but never actually begin operating. The measure also serves as a form of oversight and guidance for a company’s accounting process from the outset.
The decision was also prompted by the fact that some accountants were submitting Industrial Tax Form 1 entirely blank, disregarding the mandatory accounting entries that arise immediately upon a company’s incorporation. These include share capital subscriptions, equity capital records, as well as incorporation-related expenses and registration fees.
In practical terms, all documentation provided by the GUE upon completion of the company registration process requires mandatory accounting treatment from the very first day of activity, which begins on the date the Tax Identification Number (NIF) is issued, regardless of whether the company has conducted any commercial transactions.
In other words, even if a company has never sold or purchased anything, these three accounts exist and must be recorded. When they are ignored and Form 1 is submitted blank, it constitutes tax non-compliance, one of the main reasons for Tax Identification Number (NIF) suspensions issued by the General Tax Administration (AGT), explained an OCPCA accountant.
Expansão found that the documentation package generally provided by the GUE after a company is incorporated includes the articles of association and company bylaws, publication in the Official Gazette (which is no longer mandatory), commercial registration documents, the invoice for GUE registration fees, and proof of capital contribution (bank transfers made by shareholders), where applicable.
Submitting Form 1 with no entries is considered tax non-compliance.
“Cases of non-compliance during company formation are also linked to the country’s low level of tax literacy. In their eagerness to become entrepreneurs, many people establish companies out of vanity, only to face non-compliance issues that continue to accumulate year after year,” said another accountant who is currently assisting a company in negotiations with the AGT over tax debt, despite the company never having commenced operations since it was established in 2024.
Source: Expansão
