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E-commerce continues to grow, and tax authorities globally have struggled to keep pace. Tax authorities developed many VAT systems before the advent of e-commerce in its current format and the evolution of the internet. Around the world this has resulted in changes to ensure that taxation occurs in the way that the government wants, removing […]

Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) in Luxembourg moved to online filing from the first quarter 2021 submission. Alongside this, they also changed the authority deadline to the 15th of the month following the quarter. This change caused some upheaval as many insurance companies were already pulling data from the underwriting systems, reviewing the information (sometimes manually), […]

In our earlier article, Optimising Supply Chain Management: Key B2B Import Considerations, we looked at the possibility of UK suppliers establishing an EU warehouse to facilitate easier deliveries to customers. In this article, we look at this one solution in more depth – again from the perspective of B2B transactions. The pros and cons of […]

In the European Union, the VAT rules around supplies of goods, as well as ’traditional’ two-party supplies of services, are well-defined and established. Peer-to-peer services facilitated by a platform, however, do not always fit neatly into the categories set out under the EU VAT Directive (Council Directive 2006/112/EC). There are ambiguities around both the nature […]

Governments throughout the world are introducing continuous transaction control (CTC) systems to improve and strengthen VAT collection while combating tax evasion. Romania, with the largest VAT gap in the EU (34.9% in 2019), is one of the countries moving the fastest when it comes to introducing CTCs. In December 2021 the country announced mandatory usage […]

Making Tax Digital for VAT – Expansion Beginning in April 2022, the requirements for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT will be expanded to all VAT registered businesses. MTD for VAT has been mandatory for all companies with annual turnover above the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 since April 2019. As a result, this year’s […]

In November 2021, a Draft Royal Decree was published by the Chancery of the Prime Minister of Belgium, aiming to expand the scope of the existing e-invoicing mandate for certain business to government (B2G) transactions by implementing mandatory e-invoicing for all transactions with public administrations in Belgium. This obligation was already in place for suppliers […]

On 10 March, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a Resolution to the Commission’s Action Plan on fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery strategy, which set forth 25 initiatives predominantly related to European Union Value Added Tax (EU VAT). The document includes several general considerations and recommendations to the Commission for the VAT Directive revision […]

Update: 22 January 2024 by Tânia Rei Pre-Filled VAT Returns: Updates in 2024 In recent years, tax authorities worldwide have embraced digital transformation to streamline compliance processes, particularly through the increasing implementation of pre-filled VAT returns. Below we explore the countries that currently provide pre-filled VAT returns or are actively working on projects to implement […]

Many businesses will now be involved in “cross border” transactions meaning that a business in one territory will sell and, often, deliver goods to a customer located within another territory. The existence of two or more tax territories in the transaction, and the possibility that there may be a customer in the EU and a […]

IPT in Ireland reflects the dynamic shifts in the global tax landscape. With an increasing number of tax jurisdictions adopting electronic filings, Ireland has joined this progressive movement. The Irish tax authority has announced changes to how Stamp Duty, Life Levy, Government Levy and the Compensation Fund are declared and paid from the Quarter 1 […]

Unlike many other country initiatives that we have seen in the e-invoicing space recently, Australia does not seem to have any immediate plans to introduce continuous transaction controls (CTC) or government-portal involvement in their B2B invoicing. Judging from the recent public consultation, current efforts are focused on ways to accelerate business adoption of electronic invoicing. […]

In 2020, the European Commission (EC) adopted a four-year plan to develop a fairer and simpler taxation framework. The Action Plan aspires to tighten up the tax system, ensure that digital platforms are made to follow transparency rules and utilise data better, reducing tax fraud and evasion. In 2021, the Commission implemented e-commerce changes – […]

The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) provides for tariff-free trade between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) but does not work in the same way as when the UK was part of the EU. Before Brexit, if the goods were in free circulation within the EU, they could be moved cross-border […]

Towards the end of 2021, the tax authority in Turkey published a draft communique that expands the scope of e-documents in Turkey. After minor revisions, the draft communique was enacted and published in the Official Gazette on 22 January 2022. Let’s take a closer look at the changes in the scope of Turkish e-documents. Scope […]

The number of continuous transaction controls (CTC) jurisdictions worldwide is increasing at a high speed. What’s equally interesting to note is a parallel development: countries that already have CTCs in place are expanding the scope of their CTC regimes by introducing new obligations around related document types, notably for transport documents. We are witnessing a […]

The EU Council approved a proposed directive to amend rules governing reduced VAT rates at the ECOFIN meeting held on 7 December 2021. The new rules grant EU Member States more options and flexibility in determining the reduced VAT rates to apply to certain goods and services through amendments to the EU VAT Directive. New […]

In our previous blog, we completed the compliance cycle with tax authority audits. However, that’s not the end of the challenges businesses face in remaining compliant in the countries where they have VAT obligations. VAT rules and regulations change as do a business’s supply chains – these need to be carefully reviewed and appropriate action […]