Blog

The Effect of Inflation on VAT Rates

It’s no surprise that inflation is on the forefront of everyone’s mind, with prices continuing to sky-rocket month by month. Data from the United Kingdom shows that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation jumped to a 40-year high of 9% in the past 12 months. Governments around the world are looking for ways to reduce […]

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Common Triggers of a VAT Audit

Since many audits seem to occur at random, it’s not always possible to identify the reason why a tax office would decide to initiate one. We’ve previously spoken about an increased interest in audits from the EU and audits for e-commerce. This article covers the most common reasons behind a VAT audit to help businesses […]

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Romanian E-Transport System: What Businesses Need to Know

Update: 29 February 2024 by Inês Carvalho Since January 2023, Romania‘s mandatory e-transport system has monitored the transport of certain goods in the national territory. The e-transport system operates in parallel with Romania’s e-invoicing system. This blog answers frequently asked questions about Romania’s e-transport system including what and who is in scope, document format and […]

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Marketing Strategy 2022: Key Elements for Successful Wine e-Commerce

By Chloe Cristallini, Marketing Manager for Bloom Studio Recently, one of our webinar attendees asked, “What advice would you give someone who is first starting to sell alcohol DtC, or who wants to grow their DtC channel?” Buying a bottle of wine should be as easy for people as buying a pair of shoes. Other […]

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Trends in VAT Audits – EU Focus on E-commerce

Continuing our series on VAT audits, we take a closer look at the trends we’ve seen emerging in the activities of the EU Member States’ independent tax administrations throughout the European Union. In a recent report from the European Commission (EC) specific guidelines were published not only on best practices but also on how EU […]

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Deep Dive – Insurance Premium Tax in France

France is known for its challenging Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) filing system. Understanding which tax authorities you need to register with, file with and talk to when you have questions is essential to meeting your business’s IPT compliance obligations. In this blog, we identify France’s IPT tax authorities and explain what makes IPT so different […]

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VAT for Virtual Events – Exemption, Hybrid Events and Reduced Rates

In a recent blog, we considered the upcoming changes to the VAT treatment of virtual events. Today, we will consider some of the issues that may arise. Exemption from VAT Many hosts currently use the available educational or fundraising exemptions, especially where the delegates are private individuals without the right of deduction, e.g., doctors. For […]

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Why Can’t I Ship Alcohol Through the USPS?

Vino drinkers in 48 locales can get their favorite wines shipped direct-to-consumer (DtC) to their home, while beer and liquor aficionados only can have their top libations delivered in 12 and seven locations, respectively. These shipments must also be through a private carrier, as the United States Postal Service (USPS) is forbidden from delivering alcohol […]

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Trends in VAT Audits – Increased Interest From the EU

A recent report released by the European Commission has stressed the need for Member States to increase the number of audits they undertake, particularly in e-commerce businesses. The European Commission specifically highlighted the need for Malta, Austria and France to make additional efforts to improve their value-added tax audit practices. They highlighted the seriousness of […]

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Deep Dive: Insurance Premium Tax in Belgium

The Belgian taxation landscape can be challenging for insurers if they are not well versed in the rules and requirements for ongoing compliance. Belgium ranks as one of the somewhat trickier countries to deal with in the Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) sphere with a plethora of different taxes due dependant on the class of business […]

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Eastern European Jurisdictions: CTC update

Eastern European countries are taking new steps concerning the implementation of continuous transaction controls (CTC) systems to reduce the VAT gap and combat tax fraud. This blog provides you with information on the latest developments in several Eastern European countries that may further shape the establishment of CTC systems in other European countries and beyond. […]

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California and Maine Curtail Bills for DtC Spirits Shipping

Despite the broad interest among Americans for direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping of beer and spirits, there is clear reluctance among state legislators to change laws to enable these sales. In California, the would-be DtC shipping expansion bill SB 620 was recently amended by the State Assembly in a way that will severely impair the ability of […]

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New Place of Supply Rules for Virtual Attendance of Events

Events and conferences typically take a long time to organise and in the early part of 2020 several events that were scheduled to take place were impossible because of the various Covid-19 restrictions. Looking at a loss of revenue, and not knowing how long restrictions would last, many hosts went online and hosted virtual events. […]

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Three-Tier System Essentials: Distributor Relationships

When it comes to the three-tier system of beverage alcohol sales, there is perhaps no more important relationship than that between a beverage supplier and their distributors (also known as wholesalers). The support provided by distributors is invaluable in accessing a state’s market, from handling complex logistical arrangements to guiding a supplier on state laws […]

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Why Can’t I Get Liquor Shipped to My Home?

Have you ever wanted to order your favorite out-of-state liquor and get it shipped right to your front steps? The COVID-19 pandemic pushed consumers to rethink how they obtain the necessities and conveniences, but ordering distiller spirits for home delivery is not that easy, with only eight locales nationally permitting the direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping of […]

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Will the Middle East be Next to Accelerate CTCs?

Over the past decade, the Middle East region has undergone impactful financial and fiscal changes. VAT was introduced as one of the solutions to prevent the impact of decreasing oil prices on the economy after the region’s economic performance started to slow down. After realising the benefits of VAT to the economy, the next step […]

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Easing the Pain of Settling IPT

Ensuring Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) compliance can be a complex task. With tax rates and filing varying from country to country, many organisations choose to work with Sovos to ease their IPT compliance workload and for tax peace of mind. We spoke to Neal Bazeley, supervisor of client money about Sovos’ solution for IPT compliance […]

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E-Commerce VAT Compliance Outside the EU – Low Value Goods

E-businesses have recently been dealing with the change of rules within the EU with the introduction of the E-Commerce VAT Package but it’s also important to ensure compliance requirements are being met globally. In this blog we look at some of the low value goods regimes that have been introduced over the last few years […]

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