Altoque Taxes launches crowdfunding campaign to democratise tax returns

Author: Altoque Taxes.

Altoque Taxes (Peru), one of the projects selected to receive support from Santander X Explorer, has launched its crowdfunding campaign.

At school we are taught maths, history and science, but no one explains how to file taxes. This project is a platform that democratises tax returns for the self-employed and freelancers in Peru, turning a complex and daunting process into something simple and human. Faced with the reality that a high percentage of Peruvian self-employed workers are unaware they are required to file taxes,

“For more than seven years I have worked directly with freelancers and witnessed first-hand their struggles with taxes. Many don’t even know they are obliged to file, and those who do live in constant fear of SUNAT (National Superintendency of Customs and Tax Administration). We have already validated our approach by manually working with over 50 real users, and we have confirmed that our method works,” explains Brigid Luzuriaga, the team’s CEO.

“What sets us apart is that we are real people supporting real people. We use WhatsApp because that’s where people already are; we speak plainly, without jargon, and we offer fair prices. Formalisation shouldn’t be a luxury or a nightmare,” adds Francisco Rodriguez, the project’s CCO.

Their innovative methodology combines artificial intelligence with human support. The platform will operate as an intelligent repository of the entire Peruvian tax code, allowing freelancers to ask via WhatsApp what suits them best according to their specific situation. Once they subscribe to the service, Altoque Taxes handles their returns and provides access to a full dashboard where they can view purchases, sales and taxes due, use a tax calculator to know how much they will pay without waiting for the following month, and access all their tax documents organised in a single panel.

“We want to democratise access to tax knowledge and give freelancers full control over their tax situation. They will no longer need to search for documents in WhatsApp or emails; everything will be centralised and organised for them,” highlights Itamar Garcia, the team’s CTO.

Fundraising has already begun for Altoque Taxes, whose aim is to accelerate the development of its AI-powered platform. The team is already building this technological solution, and the campaign will enable them to complete it faster in order to reach thousands of freelancers across Peru. Here you can see the status of their campaign and, if you wish, support it!