FAQ

What is TaxSync?

TaxSync is a platform that helps you meet packaging compliance obligations across Europe: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), national plastic packaging taxes, and the EU Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR). The platform automates data collection, compliance checks, and documentation generation, from packaging assessment to final reports and declarations.

How does the platform work?

Simple: you upload your data once, and the platform uses it in all modules.

1. Data upload: packaging and sales data.
2. Automated processing: the platform analyses, calculates, and verifies.
3. Documentation generation: reports, declarations, DoC.

Do I have to re-upload data for each module?

No. You upload data once on the Assessments page under New Assessment. After that, all modules (Reports, EPR Declarations, PPWR Compliance, DoC Manager, Simulator) use the same data.

What data do I need to upload?

You upload two types of files:

Where do I upload the data?

On the Assessments page, under New Assessment.

What does a correct assessment file look like?

The header row must contain exactly these columns:

External_Product_ID,Product_Description,pack_level,Component_ID,Component_Description,BU,Component_material,Component_class,Component_weight,Component_class_weight,recycled_weight,PCR [g/CON],PIR [g/CON],reason_code,Plastic Tax Paid,Medical,recycled_percentage,brand_name,C02_footprint,medical

An example data row:

PROD-001,330ml Sparkling Water,Primary,COMP-001A,PET Bottle Body,Beverage Division,PET,Plastic,18.0,18.0,5.4,30,0,0,N,N,30,AquaPure,0.05,N

One optional column can be added: recycled_source, with the values mechanical, chemical_mass_balance, or pre_consumer. This is used for the UK recycled content rules that apply from April 2027.

What if I get an error during upload?

The platform shows you which columns are missing or incorrectly named. Check that column names match the header above exactly, including underscores, and that all required data is filled in.

What do I see on the Assessments page?

You see an overview of all uploaded packaging data:

• A list of all products and their components.
• The status of each product: Taxable, Non-Taxable, Assumed Taxable, Assumed Non-Taxable, or Missing Data.
• Whether components meet recycled content requirements.
• Country cards with your tax position per market, and charts of your packaging flows per quarter.

What does the Missing Data status mean?

It means some data is missing for that product, for example a weight, a material, or a recycled content percentage. The platform cannot complete the assessment without it.

How do I fix Missing Data?

You have two options. You can correct your original CSV file and re-upload it, or you can use the Data Quality module: it lists every gap per product with its severity, suggests values based on similar products, and walks you through the corrections one product at a time.

What do I see on the Reports page?

You see your tax return reports. Country-specific return formats are built in for:

• UK PPT: the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, with returns in the HMRC format.
• Spain IEEP: the Spanish plastic packaging tax, aligned with Modelo 592.
• Italy MACSI: the Italian plastic tax, ready for its start on 1 January 2027.

How do I generate a tax report?

1. Select one or more countries.
2. Select the period.
3. Create the report, review the calculated figures, and finish it.
4. Download the return as CSV or PDF in the format required by that country.

Can I generate reports for multiple countries at once?

Yes. You can select several countries and let the platform split a longer date range into quarterly reports automatically.

What if the tax rate changes?

Tax rates are maintained centrally with their validity dates. New reports always use the rate that applies to their period, historical reports keep the rate that applied back then, and administrators are notified when a rate changes.

What happens after a report is finished?

Each report moves through a controlled lifecycle: preparing, prepared, sent, and finally accepted or rejected, with the full history recorded. If a return needs to be redone, the platform creates a new version of the same period, and an access log records who viewed and downloaded each report.

What do I see on the EPR Declarations page?

You see prepared EPR declarations for the countries you have activated. Country-specific declaration formats are built in for Germany (LUCID and VerpackG), France (CITEO), Netherlands (Verpact), Belgium (Fost Plus), Austria (ARA), Poland (BDO), Portugal (SPV), Ireland (Repak), Sweden (FTI), Denmark (DPA), Norway (Gront Punkt), and Finland (Rinki).

How do I generate an EPR declaration?

1. Select the country.
2. Select the period.
3. Generate the declaration.
4. Download it in the format for that scheme.

Which formats are supported?

EPR declarations are exported as CSV files structured for each scheme, for example the German VerpackG data report or the CITEO declaration for France. Tax returns are additionally available as PDF, and Declarations of Conformity are generated as PDF documents.

What do I see on the PPWR Compliance page?

You see the compliance status of each product against PPWR requirements:

• Recyclability: the grade each product achieves.
• Recycled content: whether the product meets the 2030 and 2040 targets.
• Packaging minimisation: whether the product meets the Article 10 requirements.
• PFAS and heavy metals: whether the product complies with Article 5.

How does the recyclability grading work?

Products are graded from A to E. Grade A is the best. From 2030, packaging must reach at least grade C to be placed on the EU market, and the threshold tightens to grade B from 2038. Anything below the applicable minimum is flagged.

How do I see which products do not meet the targets?

The platform automatically flags products that miss a target, and the Data Quality module shows exactly which data or design change each one needs.

What do I see on the DoC Manager page?

You see a list of all Declarations of Conformity (DoC): the DoC number, product, version, overall result, and status (Draft, Issued, Superseded, or Withdrawn). Documents received from suppliers additionally show their verification status.

How do I generate a DoC?

1. Generate a DoC for a single product, or for your whole portfolio at once.
2. The platform checks compliance against PPWR Articles 5 to 12.
3. If everything is conformant, you issue and sign the DoC, and it is generated as a PDF.

What if a product is not compliant?

The platform shows you exactly which article fails and why, for example insufficient recycled content or missing data. You fix the issue before issuing the DoC.

How long are DoCs kept?

Five years for single-use packaging and ten years for reusable packaging. The platform calculates and tracks the retention date for every document.

What does the DoC contain?

The unique identification number, manufacturer details including contact person, the EU Authorised Representative where applicable, packaging identification, the conformity assessment for Articles 5 to 12, applied harmonised standards, other applicable EU legislation, and the signature with place and date. DoC documents can be generated in English, German, Spanish, French, or Italian.

I import packaged goods. Can I record DoCs received from suppliers?

Yes. You record the supplier, their document reference, and the signed PDF, then verify the document against a built-in Annex VIII checklist before marking it verified. The original file is archived for the full retention period.

What do I see on the Simulator page?

An interactive tool for testing what-if scenarios on your packaging.

What can I test in the simulator?

• Material change: how swapping a material affects compliance and taxes.
• Recycled content change: how a different recycled percentage affects taxes.
• Weight change: how a lighter or heavier component changes your position.
• Supplier change: how a new supplier, with different recycled content or tax already paid, affects your liability.
• Adding or removing components.

Every scenario is calculated against all supported countries at once, so you see the tax impact per market side by side.

How do I use the simulator?

1. Select a product.
2. Change one or more parameters.
3. Run the simulation.
4. The platform shows the difference in compliance and costs against the baseline.

Does the simulator change real data?

No. Simulations run entirely in memory and never modify your actual data.

How do I apply changes from the simulator?

If you like a simulation result, update your data in the assessment file and re-upload it.

What documents can I export from the platform?

Can I export documents in bulk?

Yes. All issued DoCs can be exported together as a single ZIP archive, and tax reports can be created for several countries and quarters in one step.

1. Upload data. You upload the assessment file and the transactional file once, on the Assessments page.
2. The platform processes it. Products and components are analysed, statuses are assigned, and every module reads from the same data: Assessments, Reports, EPR Declarations, PPWR Compliance, DoC Manager, and the Simulator.
3. Generate and export. From that single dataset you produce tax returns, EPR declarations, PPWR compliance reports, and Declarations of Conformity, each in the format its recipient expects.