For an overview about other VAT-related requirements in Spain read this comprehensive page about VAT compliance in Spain.
As governments worldwide continue to shift to Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC) systems, such as e-invoicing and real-time e-reporting, another trend organically unfolds as part of this move towards tax digitisation: pre-filled returns.
With access to real-time transactional level data – and other types of data, such as payroll, inventory and other accounting data transmitted at less regular intervals – tax authorities can facilitate other tax obligations with measures like prepopulating returns. This move ensures that the data submitted via CTC systems become the taxpayer’s single source of truth and highlights the importance of data quality.
Countries such as Chile – the cradle of e-invoicing – along with Indonesia, Spain and Portugal, have now been using pre-filled returns for several years. Many other countries have followed suit, with Greece being one of them.
Greece made this significant step in 2022, introducing a new framework for pre-filled VAT returns based on data submitted through the myDATA platform. The measure aims to increase accuracy, transparency, and administrative efficiency for both businesses and tax authorities.
Greece has also made the pre-filing of income tax returns, namely the Statement of Financial Data from Business Activity (Form E3) based on myDATA, available.
As this framework evolved, Greece made another move. The country’s tax authorities set limits to the adjustments taxpayers could make to pre-filled returns, essentially locking the declarations to a certain extent. Since 2025, a zero-deviation limit has been reached for pre-filled VAT returns, while a more flexible cap is currently in place for Form E3. However, this is also expected to be gradually reduced over time.
Pre-filled VAT returns are VAT declarations that are automatically populated using data transmitted to the digital bookkeeping platform, myDATA. Rather than manually entering figures into the VAT return, taxpayers see their returns pre-filled with data based on their invoices and expense records submitted through CTC regimes.
Under this model, the VAT return becomes effectively “locked”. Taxpayers can no longer freely adjust revenue and expense fields. If discrepancies are identified, businesses must correct the data directly within myDATA to ensure the return reflects accurate information.
Ministerial Decision 1020/2024 is the regulation that outlines the rules governing how submitted myDATA data impacts pre-filled VAT returns, sets the limits on allowable deviations and the procedures for handling correlation difficulties.
The regulation introduced two core compliance rules:
The regulation sets temporary thresholds for deviation between declared amounts and those submitted via myDATA to provide transitional relief from the revenue and expense rules. These are called tolerable deviation limits.
The initial rule allowed taxpayers to adjust their income and expenses by up to 30%. However, over time, the limits were gradually reduced. Since January 2025, the threshold has dropped to 0%, which means that there is no possibility of deviating from the amounts locked in the pre-filled return by myDATA under the revenue and expense rules.
One of the most important compliance aspects is the deadline for updating data in myDATA. Corrections must be made before the submission deadline of the VAT return for the relevant period. After that, the return is locked, and any subsequent changes would require the filing of an amended VAT return.
Since the 2023 tax year, Form E3 has been pre-filled based on data submitted to myDATA by taxpayers. However, from the 2024 tax year onwards, taxpayers may only modify these pre-filled amounts within certain limits.
According to new rules introduced in March 2025, a 30% deviation limit is established for revenue and expense data reported in Form E3, per tax year, in relation to the corresponding myDATA-reported values.
In addition to deviation limits, the new rules regulate aspects such as the classification of income and expenses, the mandatory reconciliation of reported data with myDATA records and the procedures for handling discrepancies in pre-filled amounts.
However, following the trend seen with VAT returns, deviation limits for Form E3 are expected to be gradually reduced until it is no longer possible to change the pre-filled amounts under the revenue and expense rules.
The move to pre-filled returns represents a broader shift toward real-time, data-driven compliance in Greece. While the framework introduces new responsibilities for taxpayers, it also simplifies the return process and reduces the risk of human error.
With tolerable margins eliminated for VAT returns – and further tightened for Form E3 – businesses should focus on proactive data management to fully benefit from the efficiencies of the new system.
To remain compliant and avoid discrepancies in their VAT returns, businesses operating in Greece should:
For businesses already familiar with digital reporting under myDATA, the transition should be smooth, but for others, now is the time to prepare.
In a previous blog, we provided an overview of the current and proposed natural disaster-related measurements in some European countries and Australia. In this blog, we will focus on the possible EU-level solution proposed by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) in their latest discussion paper, issued in December 2024.
The proposal, as was also in the case of their discussion paper from April 2023, focuses on the growing “insurance protection gap” in Europe. It highlights that Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world. If we look back at only the last six months, there were at least three severe climate-related catastrophes in Europe: Portugal wildfires and the Spanish and the Czech Republic Floods.
Among other significant economic consequences of the increasing frequency and severity of natural catastrophes, we need to highlight the impact of these events on insurance businesses and indirectly on the taxation of the insurance premium amounts.
The paper summarises 12 existing national natural catastrophe insurance schemes which we are going to brief in our blog series – adding the current tax treatment of these schemes. In this blog, we provide an overview of the EU-level solutions as proposed by the paper and a summary of the approaches followed by the EU countries.
A two-pillar solution was included in the referenced document. The two pillars are:
Both of these pillars could potentially affect the amount of tax payable by the insurance companies on the collected premium amounts. The first pillar might indirectly increase the tax amount levied on the reinsured premium amount, such as in the case of France CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance), where IPT (and contributions to the Major Risk Prevention Fund) is due on the CATNAT premium. The second pillar may trigger newly introduced contributions that might be levied on the insurance premium amounts.
The current national schemes aim to broaden insurance coverage. Some countries, like Italy most recently, make certain natural catastrophe risks such as earthquakes, floods and landslides compulsory to be insured by either or both entities or individuals.
In other cases, compulsory reinsurance involving public-private sector coordination exists. The most well-known reinsurance system exists in France, the so-called CCR. However, there is a reinsurance system in Iceland, where insurers collect CATNAT premium amounts and pay them towards NTI (Icelandic Natural Disaster Insurance).
It remains to be seen the extent to which the proposals are acted upon and the impact that they may have on premium taxation regimes in the EU. As it is such a significant topic in insurance currently, Sovos will be keeping a close eye on developments in this area.
France is one of the most challenging countries in Europe when it comes to the premium tax treatment of motor insurance policies. This is mainly due to the variety of taxes and charges that can apply and the differing treatment of different vehicle types.
This blog provides all the information you need to know about the correct treatment in France.
As with our dedicated overviews of the taxation of motor insurance policies in Spain, Norway, Italy and Austria, this blog will focus on the specifics in France. We also have a blog covering the taxation of motor insurance policies across Europe.
First and foremost, Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) applies to motor insurance provided in France. The rate can vary (rates correct as of December 2024):
Class 3 motor cover is treated as a form of property coverage within the scope of contributions to the EUR 6.50 Common Fund for Victims of Terrorism when located in France. There is also a requirement to collect a CATNAT premium (with specific rates for motor coverage which are increasing from January 2025). IPT and contributions to the Major Risk Prevention Fund are due on this premium.
Compulsory class 10 cover triggers National Guarantee Fund contributions. This currently results in three separate rates applicable to premiums, set at 1.2%, 0.8% and 0.58%, respectively.
Finally, it is worth noting that class 3 or 10 coverage of vehicles used for agricultural operations may be excluded from the scope of contributions to the Major Risk Prevention Fund. They do, however, result in separate contributions of 11% due to the National Agricultural Risk Management Fund.
The majority of taxes and charges on motor insurance policies in France are calculated as a percentage of the taxable premium and are directly charged to the insured. There are some exceptions, though.
Where applicable, the 0.58% National Guarantee Fund contribution and contributions to the Major Risk Prevention Fund are both insurer-borne so do not result in direct additions to the premiums charged to the insured.
The EUR 6.50 contributions to the Common Fund for Victims of Terrorism are a fixed fee and apply to each insurance contract per annum – regardless of the premium value.
It should also be noted that the IPT treatment of motor insurance can be extended to include ancillary coverage, such as passenger accident cover. This is because the IPT treatment applies to risks of any nature relating to land motor vehicles. It is important to assess each risk to determine whether it is considered a risk related to land motor vehicles as this can be a contentious area in French law.
Electric vehicles are subject to an IPT exemption, albeit this was amended from January 2024 so that 75% of the premium was treated as exempt (with the remaining 25% being taxable as normal).
A 75% exemption applies to insurance incepting in 2024 for vehicles registered in 2024, but only in relation to the first insurance contract following the vehicle’s registration up to a maximum of 24 months. There is no law currently in effect extending this treatment for vehicles registered in 2025, so such vehicles will not benefit from the 75% exemption as it stands.
Coverage of any nature relating to commercial agricultural vehicles and commercial vehicles greater than 3.5 tonnes benefits from a full IPT exemption, except compulsory class 10 coverage. However, this does not provide an exemption from the applicability of the parafiscal charges mentioned above.
If you still have questions about the taxation of motor insurance policies or IPT in France, speak to our experts.
In Italy, the insurance premium tax (IPT) code (which is being revised as of the date of this blog’s publication) and various other laws and regulations include provisions for taxes/contributions on motor hull and motor liability insurance policies.
This article covers all you need to know about this specific indirect tax in the country.
As with our dedicated overviews of the taxation of motor insurance policies in Spain, Norway and Austria, this blog will focus on the specifics in Italy. We also have a blog covering the taxation of motor insurance policies across Europe.
In Italy, there are four types of charges payable on motor insurance policies:
Whilst motor insurance policies can include various coverages as add-ons, this blog’s main focus is on motor hull and motor liability.
Calculating taxes on land vehicles, i.e., motor hulls (Class 3), is simple. There is only IPT at 12.5% and CONSAP at 1%.
The taxable premium is the basis of these taxes. Both taxes are declared in the annual IPT return and payable monthly.
The taxation of insurance policies against civil liability arising from the circulation of motor vehicles is more complex.
The IPT rate (so called Responsabilità Civile Auto or RCA tax) is determined on a provincial level. Legislative Decree 6 May 2011, No. 68 quotes that the rate of the RCA tax is equal to 12.5%. However, this can be increased or decreased by the province or metropolitan city by a maximum of 3.5%. That is why RCA tax rates are sometimes referred to as a tax with a rate ranging from 9-16%.
In Italy, there are 20 regions, each with one or more autonomous provinces or cities. To complicate matters further, the province or city can modify the tax rates within the tax year.
CONSAP does not apply on motor liability policies, however EMER is at a rate of 10.5% with an additional 2.5% required for RAVF.
RCA and EMER are declared in the annual IPT return, and payments are due monthly.
Although RAVF is also declared annually, the declaration process differs, and there is also a prepayment obligation. The actual amount of RAVF depends on the management fee set annually by the Italian insurance supervisory body (IVASS) – the percentage of which is published during November for the next year.
As previously stated, IPT/RCA regulations are undergoing major renewal (during 2024). The legislation governing the tax provisions on private insurance and life annuities (Law 29 October 1961, No. 1216) is part of the Italian Government`s tax reform initiatives.
According to the available draft legislation, the IPT law will be divided into three parts:
The government extended the deadline for enactment of the new regulation to the end of 2025.
There are not many exemptions available for IPT/RCA tax, nor for CONSAP, EMER and RAVF. However, cars registered in Italy to NATO Allied Force benefit from an exemption from IPT/RCA.
If you still have questions about the taxation of motor insurance policies or IPT in Italy, speak to our experts.
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has released a draft proposal to implement mandatory e-invoicing and e-reporting for B2B and B2C transactions. This implementation would mark a significant shift in the country’s e-invoicing landscape.
Should the proposal be approved, taxpayers will be subject to a two-fold obligation: they must issue and exchange B2B invoices electronically and report B2B and B2C transactional data to the tax authority. Although clearance will not be required in the e-invoice issuance process, transactional data must be reported to the tax authority in near real-time, which shows that Slovenia is aligning with the global trend of governments implementing Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC).
Taxpayers under scope are all business entities registered in Slovenia’s Business Register (PRS), including companies, self-employed entities and associations. To register in the PRS, business entities must have a registered office or address in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia.
This new system also introduces a decentralised reporting and exchange model facilitated by registered service providers, called e-route providers. These are similar to the network exchange requirements in France and those planned for Spain.
The proposed mandatory e-invoicing and CTC e-reporting will be introduced from 1 June 2026.
The e-invoicing mandate would require taxpayers to issue, send and receive e-invoices and other e-documents for B2B domestic transactions.
Under the Slovenian proposal, e-invoices refer to an invoice or similar accounting document that records business transactions, regardless of what they are called. This includes credit notes, debit notes, advance invoices, payment requests, etc.
There are multiple supported formats for the exchange of e-invoices:
The proposal allows three methods for e-invoice issuance and exchange:
In cases where the issuer and recipient use e-invoice different standards, if using e-route providers, the recipient’s provider must convert the e-invoice to the syntax accepted by the recipient.
Regarding B2C transactions, consumers will have the option to receive either e-invoices or paper invoices. This must be agreed upon by the parties. If an e-invoice is issued, suppliers will be obliged to provide a visualised content version (e.g., PDF).
The proposal states that taxpayers must electronically report B2B and B2C transactional data, including cross-border transactions, to the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (FURS) within eight days of invoice issuance or receipt. Reporting must be done exclusively in the e-SLOG standard.
The reporting requirement extends to B2C and cross-border transactions, regardless of whether an invoice was issued electronically. This ensures that transactions such as these, for which e-invoicing is not mandatory, are reported to the FURS allowing it a comprehensive collection of taxpayers’ transactional data.
The selected method for e-invoice exchange will impact the e-reporting of transactional data. If the parties use e-route providers, both the issuer’s and recipient’s providers must send the e-invoice to FURS. For direct exchanges, both parties must separately report their transactions to FURS.
The draft establishes obligations and certain technical requirements applicable to e-route providers. According to the Slovenian government, the requirements to become an e-route provider are comparable to those in France but without the need for certification
However, the public authorities will maintain a list of registered e-route service providers who must fulfil certain requirements, some of which are already listed in the draft law. The proposal does not state explicit local registration/establishment rules for e-route providers. The government will publish further regulations detailing the application process and other applicable requirements.
The government must take certain crucial steps before enforcing the mandate. The Parliament must officially approve the draft law before the requirements are confirmed.
Moreover, publication of the technical specifications and further regulations are awaited, including details of the data reporting methods to the tax authority. Slovenia will need to apply for a derogation from the VAT Directive with the EU Commission to enforce mandatory B2B e-invoicing before the adoption of ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age).
For businesses operating in Slovenia, this will mean impactful changes to their outbound and inbound processes by 1 June 2026. This includes the acquisition of software or update of their systems to issue, send and receive e-invoices, adapting to the allowed e-invoicing formats and connecting to the FURS or availing the services of e-route providers to electronically report their data.
Have questions about how these changes could affect your operations? Ask our team of experts.
The convergence of traditional Value Added Tax (VAT) and transactional compliance regimes is creating new obligations and responsibilities for companies doing business around the world. When it comes to VAT, compliance is so much more than just reporting.
Here are six pitfalls you should avoid in the pursuit of VAT compliance:
Companies with multijurisdictional supply chains must ensure their VAT determination decisions are accurate every time. Managing the validation process with VAT Determination software that checks validity before invoices are cut can save time and improve data accuracy from the outset.
It’s also best practice to complete your buyer VAT ID checks at this point in the process to avoid nasty surprises later. Checking manually can be incredibly resource-intensive so using a solution that can automate this for you can save both time and hassle.
To be considered legal for VAT purposes, invoices need to meet a specific set of requirements which vary by jurisdiction. Without legally valid invoices, you may be presented with a host of problems when the time comes to reclaim input VAT. If you have accepted an invoice that doesn’t tick the boxes that make it legal for VAT purposes, you invite the scrutiny of the tax authorities.
Aside from possible fines, the delay while anomalies are reviewed can impact your cash flow and cause reputational damage. Even in a paper world, VAT deduction is not permitted for improperly formatted invoices.
With VAT obligations always growing and adapting, the pressure on internal tax teams is greater than ever. Each government has its own approach to penalties for late submissions or overdue payments. Manual processes can no longer be relied upon to meet the demands of the authorities on time, and with accuracy.
It’s possible to streamline the reporting process using software, outsourced services or a hybrid approach; what’s best for your business depends on how your tax team is organised.
With new requirements coming thick and fast, teams are working harder and faster. As a result, opportunities for manual error are at an all-time high.
Manually processing VAT invoices can be incredibly time-consuming and leaves room for oversight and human error. Even individual errors can lead to bigger problems down the line, attracting the attention of the authorities and impacting your ability to do business.
Extracting the right data from the appropriate system modules, and then processing and mapping it so that it can be summarised, is a complicated and detailed task. To complicate matters further, each jurisdiction has its own unique reporting requirements you must meet. Automating these processes can improve accuracy and your ability to comply.
Preparing VAT Returns, EC (European Commission) Sales Lists, Intrastat Declarations and other country-specific reports for regular submission can be demanding. Add in the need to prepare a SAF-T (Standard Audit File for Tax) report and the complexity intensifies. SAF-T requirements differ by country, including transactional data (about sales and purchases) and accounting data at a minimum, but often need information about assets and inventory as well.
Combining detailed data from different source systems with an exacting submission format means the report cannot be easily eyeballed to check for possible errors. Tax Authorities use software to analyse the SAF-T filings they receive and decide where to follow up with further auditing. To safeguard the quality of the submission and avoid a call from the tax authority, it’s essential that data is thoroughly analysed before it’s submitted – ideally using tools of the same calibre that each Tax Authority is using.
It’s never been more important to seek the right advice for VAT. Admitting you need help can be a daunting but crucial step, but the fear of non-compliance should be a bigger concern.
Simply put, there comes a time for every multinational organisation when managing complex tax obligations in-house just isn’t viable anymore. Consolidating your compliance with Sovos gives you access to industry-leading software, consulting services and regulatory experts, all of which are focused on ensuring you’re compliant now and will remain so in the future.
To find out more, get in touch today.
Greece’s VAT reform started back in 2020 and it has manifested itself in three continuous transaction control (CTC) initiatives.
Namely, the initiatives are:
Recently, the introduction of an e-transport mandate was included in the country’s VAT reform strategy, although not much detail has been published yet.
More progress has been made in implementing the myDATA scheme and the new cash registers than for CTC e-invoicing. However, in the last few months, the authorities have taken steps towards setting up the right framework to make CTC e-invoicing – which is currently voluntary for B2B transactions – mandatory for all.
myDATA went live as a voluntary system in 2020 and followed a gradual implementation timeline which is ongoing. It is an e-audit system that requires taxpayers to report transactional and accounting data to the tax administration, in real-time or periodically, which populates a set of online ledgers maintained on the government portal. The goal of myDATA is for the online ledgers to be the only source of truth of the taxpayer’s tax and financial results, and for their respective information to pre-fill the taxpayer’s VAT returns and financial statements.
Greece’s myDATA is a reporting obligation of ledger-type data and it is not to be confused with e-invoicing as it doesn’t require invoices to be issued and exchanged in electronic form. Greece allows for invoices (in B2B transactions) to be issued and exchanged on paper or electronically following the standard e-invoicing rules of the EU VAT Directive.
In parallel with the roll-out of myDATA, the authorities established an accreditation framework for e-invoicing service providers and introduced a voluntary e-invoicing scheme involving accredited entities. These entities are accredited by the government to perform certain functions, namely:
To encourage the uptake of CTC e-invoicing, the government provided several incentives to businesses to use e-invoicing facilitated through accredited service providers. It also obliged businesses who opt for CTC e-invoicing to use no other methods to fulfil the myDATA requirements e.g., ERP reporting, except through accredited service providers. This implies that a business selecting CTC e-invoicing for its B2B transactions must use the same method for issuing and reporting all other invoices, including B2G transactions, and vice versa.
CTC e-invoicing became mandatory for B2G transactions on 12 September 2023 for VAT-registered suppliers to certain government agencies. The mandate will continue to roll out in phases with the next main milestone coming up in January 2024. This obligation covers the vast majority of public contracts, from defence and security to general supplies and services, with some exceptions (e.g. contracts in defence and security which are classified as secret).
With the introduction of the B2G e-invoicing mandate, the use of CTC e-invoicing has indirectly become mandatory for B2B transactions too, encompassing both issuance and reporting to myDATA. It means that businesses in the scope of the B2G e-invoicing mandate have the obligation to use CTC e-invoicing through accredited e-invoicing service providers to issue and report both their B2B and B2G e-invoice flows to myDATA.
While a B2B e-invoicing mandate cannot be introduced without prior approval by the European Commission, the Greek Ministry of Finance announced that it has started a dialogue with the Commission to discuss the conditions required to implement a nationwide mandate.
Although an ambitious timeline, the Ministry envisions a full implementation of a B2B e-invoicing mandate within 2024.
Clearly, Greece’s CTC initiatives are in line with the EU paradigm shift towards increased governmental control over transactional and accounting data – it recognises the benefits of tighter tax compliance and taking steps to close its tax gap.
Significant progress has been made, with myDATA operational since 2021. With the addition of CTC e-invoicing and the e-transport mandate in the VAT reform strategy, the Greek government and businesses face a demanding period in the coming years.
Need help with the current VAT reform in Greece? Our expert team can help.
How can manufacturers navigate the ever-evolving and increasingly complex world of value added tax (VAT)? There are several, key ways to evaluate your current and future approach to VAT, maintaining compliance the entire way.
Far too often we have seen IT-centric processes miss (or at least misunderstand) key compliance needs and requirements, and tax-centric processes fail to consider the practicalities of automation. Both tax and IT must realise that they will need each other for ongoing maintenance and solution expansion initiatives.
Organisations would be well served to establish and share solid documentation around their compliance protocols and conduct periodic reviews to ensure they are continuing to do what is necessary to minimise audit risk and keep their company safe.
There are both tactical and strategic questions at play here, and manufacturers must make thoughtful business decisions around how to handle the level of VAT compliance requirements that their operations demand. Increased audit volume is coming, so the industry has to commit to effectively and efficiently meeting the ever-growing compliance obligations of e-invoicing and periodic reporting.
Although you may have an indirect tax strategy in place, make sure to evaluate how effective your current strategy is, especially as requirements are undergoing significant changes in so many jurisdictions. Is your strategy sufficiently up-to-date to ensure it efficiently and accurately addresses current and upcoming compliance obligations and is scalable to seamlessly meet the rapidly evolving needs business will face tomorrow.
Digital identity verification and transaction management frees your organisation from regulatory friction and our intelligent solutions integrate with your processes to ensure valid and future-proof transactions.
Sovos helps you remain focused on your central business by reducing the friction of complex tax digitisation mandates. We take a future-facing approach to indirect tax compliance with intelligent tools that provide insights for a competitive advantage.
Learn about compliance solutions built for manufacturers!
Updated: 9 April 2024
Intrastat thresholds are value thresholds which decide if companies in an EU Member State qualify to file a return to tax authorities, based on their intra-community trading. These thresholds change annually, prompting businesses to conduct an annual recalculation to know their obligations.
This blog contains all the Intrastat reporting thresholds for 2024, as well as important information for businesses trading within the EU. It will be updated to reflect any changes as soon as they are implemented.
Level up your Intrastat knowledge with our handy Intrastat guide, which covers reporting requirements, returns and declarations, commodity codes, how Sovos can help and more.
Intrastat thresholds are annual value thresholds that decide whether businesses must declare their intra-EU trades to the relevant national tax authorities.
While Intrastat is based on a European Union regulation, Member States have implemented the rule differently. As such, companies trading across the EU must be aware of the exemption threshold for each country they trade in – whether that’s acquiring or dispatching goods.
When a business exceeds the threshold in a Member State, it must continue to file Intrastat returns with the country until the applicable January-to-December period has concluded.
Intrastat thresholds must be calculated each year as they change annually, and there are separate values for arrivals and dispatches.
To make it easy for your business, we have listed all the Intrastat thresholds below in a table – country-by-country. Find out whether your company needs to file an Intrastat return in EU Member States where you do business.
The current Intrastat thresholds have been in place since the beginning of the year. They are due to change again in 2025. For the current applicable thresholds for your business, view the table below.
The table will be kept updated with the latest threshold values.
| Country | Arrivals | Dispatches |
| Austria | EUR 1.1 million | EUR 1.1 million |
| Belgium | EUR 1.5 million | EUR 1 million |
| Bulgaria | BGN 1.65 million | BGN 1.9 million |
| Croatia | EUR 400.000 | EUR 300.000 |
| Cyprus | EUR 320.000 | EUR 75.000 |
| Czech Republic | CZK 15 million | CZK 15 million |
| Denmark | DKK 41 million | DKK 11.3 million |
| Estonia | EUR 700.000 | EUR 350.000 |
| Finland | EUR 800.000 | EUR 800.000 |
| France | No threshold | No threshold |
| Germany | EUR 800.000 | EUR 500.000 |
| Greece | EUR 150.000 | EUR 90.000 |
| Hungary | HUF 270 million | HUF 150 million |
| Ireland | EUR 500.000 | EUR 635.000 |
| Italy | EUR 350.000 (goods) EUR 100.000 (services) |
No threshold |
| Latvia | EUR 350.000 | EUR 200.000 |
| Lithuania | EUR 550.000 | EUR 400.000 |
| Luxembourg | EUR 250.000 | EUR 200.000 |
| Malta | EUR 700 | EUR 700 |
| Netherlands | The Netherlands have abolished the Intrastat threshold. Intrastat has become a report to submit “on demand” of the Dutch authorities. | The Netherlands have abolished the Intrastat threshold. Intrastat has become a report to submit “on demand” of the Dutch authorities. |
| Poland | PLN 6.2 million | PLN 2.8 million |
| Portugal | EUR 600.000 | EUR 600.000 |
| Romania | RON 1 million | RON 1 million |
| Slovakia | EUR 1 million | EUR 1 million |
| Slovenia | EUR 220.000 | EUR 270.000 |
| Spain | EUR 400.000 | EUR 400.000 |
| Sweden | SEK 15 million | SEK 4.5 million |
| United Kingdom | GBP 500.000 | GBP 250.000 |
Businesses that trade within an EU Member State but at figures lower than those listed in the above table are not required to file Intrastat returns. There are additional nuances that exist on a country-by-country basis that may change the obligations of a company.
The Netherlands removed its threshold in 2023. Its tax authorities will notify taxpayers subject to submitting Intrastat returns. They monitor intra-community transactions performed by domestic taxpayers monthly.
Italy and France differ from other countries as it has combined Intrastat returns and ECSL returns into a single declaration.
It can be difficult to stay on top of Intrastat, especially with the variety among countries, but Sovos can help. Contact our team of experts to find out how we can assist.
If you are interested in learning more about European VAT compliance, download our free eBook.
Sovos’ Advanced Periodic Reporting (APR) is a cloud solution. It mitigates the risks and costs of compliance, futureproofing and streamlining the handling of your periodic reporting – including Intrastat.
Our solution automates, centralises and standardises the preparation, reconciliation, amendment and validation of summary reports to make meeting your obligations simple.
Intrastat is an obligation created in 1993 that applies to certain businesses that trade internationally in the European Union. Specifically, it relates to the movement of goods – arrivals and dispatches – across EU Member States.
The requirements of Intrastat remain similar across the EU, though certain Member States have implemented rules differently. As a result, it can be confusing when trading cross-border in the region.
From reports and returns to thresholds and specific codes, knowing what applies to your business and how to comply is important. Consider this your go-to guide to understand Intrastat rules, requirements, reporting and terminology.
Intrastat reporting largely involves statistics but does occasionally require fiscal data. The information needed depends on the threshold of the EU Member State that your business is established within.
The mandatory data in Intrastat reports were originally regulated by Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 638/2004, which is no longer in force, though it also lists optional elements for reporting consistency across the EU. Typical data requirements included:
In 2022, a project for the modernisation of Intrastat was introduced, Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 was abolished, and a new Regulation 2019/2152 entered into force. In addition to the data mentioned above, it made the following information mandatory in all Member States:
Optionally, Member States can also opt to ask for:
An Intrastat return, also known as an Intrastat declaration, replaced customs declarations in 1993 to serve as the source of trade statistics within the European Union.
These returns provide the European Commission, as well as EU National Customs Authorities, with detailed insights into the goods being traded in the European Union. Due to the information required in the declarations, authorities can identify the kinds of goods that are circulating, as well as the volume of such goods.
If a company does not submit Intrastat returns when qualifying to do so it might be liable to hefty fines.
It’s important to understand how Intrastat works with other compliance obligations in general, such as submitting VAT returns, recapitulative statements (EC Sales Lists) and, notably for e-commerce sellers in the EU, schemes like Union OSS.
Intrastat returns are required when your business dispatches goods to or acquires goods from another EU Member State when the value exceeds the country’s threshold. Each Member State sets the deadline for the submission of declarations to its respective national tax authority.
In Germany, for example, applicable businesses must report every month, with each declaration required within 10 days after the end of the reporting period ending. This can be done online or through the Germany statistics authority portal.
Your business should check the value of goods traded within EU Member States for the past year to see whether they exceed national thresholds.
Qualifying thresholds dictate whether a business must register for Intrastat or not. These thresholds must be calculated each year, with each EU Member State having its own figure that changes annually.
When a threshold is exceeded in a country, businesses should continue to file Intrastat returns until the applicable January-December period is complete.
Read our blog for a comprehensive Intrastat threshold table containing each country’s qualifying figure.
Otherwise known as commodity codes or Combined Nomenclature (CN), Intrastat numbers are part of a system allowing authorities to identify the types of goods traded across the European Union. The requirements for Intrastat numbers are largely the same across EU Member States, with just a few exceptions.
These numbers, or codes, are part of an eight-digit system that is comprised of Harmonized System (HS) codes and EU subdivisions. They contain complete nomenclature for the description of goods and are subject to annual revisions, ensuring they are up to date with technology and trading patterns.
The European Commission published the Intrastat numbers for 2023 in October 2022.
Sovos’ SAP Framework for periodic reports including Intrastat takes care of the extraction of data required to generate periodic reporting for businesses. Sovos’ solution generates compliant Intrastat reports by extracting data from required SAP modules. Using SAP with this add-on provides a framework for periodic returns including Intrastat, EC Sales Lists and SAF-T.
In turn, this increases the ease of compliance and reduces the risk of penalties from incorrect filings – producing cost and time savings for your business.
Speak to our team about how we can help with Intrastat compliance.
Intrastat returns are still required by businesses registered for VAT in the UK, even after Brexit, with respect to supplies of goods from the EU into Northern Ireland and vice-versa.
Businesses in the EU that trade goods with other EU countries – whether they’re dispatched or received – need to file Intrastat returns if the annual trade value exceeds the applicable country’s threshold.
Intrastat is a system which allows the European Union to track traded goods between its Member States. It was devised to replace customs reporting on the movement of goods within the EU, which stopped in 1993.
Intrastat divides goods into categories that are identified by eight-digit codes. These categories are typically referred to as Intrastat codes, commodity codes or Combined Nomenclature (CN).
Want to learn about EU VAT compliance? Our Introduction to EU VAT is a great place to start. We also have specific guides to help you understand important EU tax requirements, including the EU VAT e-commerce package and VAT between European countries.
Sovos’ recent observations of audits by EU Tax Authorities are that Tax Officers are paying more attention to the contents of One Stop Shop (OSS) VAT Returns. They have challenged, and even excluded, companies from this optional scheme.
OSS VAT returns must contain details of supplies made to customers in each Member State of consumption by the taxable person. Supplies that need to be reported are as follows.
Supplies of services to non-taxable persons taking place in the EU. This includes supplies of services taking place in the Member State of identification.
Supplies of services made to non-taxable persons taking place in a Member State in which the supplier is not established. This includes the intra-community distance sales of goods.
Additionally, a taxable person can also declare domestic supplies of goods for which they are a deemed supplier in the Union scheme.
A taxable person might be excluded by the Member State of identification from the scheme for several reasons. Considering the most common reasons, it’s important to note the following:
Let’s look at two case studies to further demonstrate the above.
A taxable person submits a quarterly OSS return and pays the VAT owed by the last day of the month, following the end of each quarter. If they have not sold any goods in the EU during a tax period, they should submit a nil return.
Taxable persons must submit their quarterly OSS VAT returns according to the following schedule.
If the due date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, the deadline is not moved to the next workday.
A company, established and VAT registered in Spain, applied to the optional OSS Scheme under the Union scheme.
This company has an e-commerce store and customers can request delivery to their premises in any EU Member State. Under the terms and conditions on the website, the company clarifies that this channel is only for private individuals.
However, during an audit carried out by the German Tax Authorities, it has been noticed that some supplies are carried out in favour of business customers.
In some cases, the business customers have just shared their company name. In other cases, the companies have included their German VAT number in the purchase order on the internet (e.g. under “Additional comments”) and this information has been included on the invoice issued by the Spanish company.
Under these circumstances, the German Tax Office has provided the Spanish company with a warning as:
A company established and VAT-registered in Turkey applied to the optional OSS Scheme under the Union scheme in Slovakia.
This company has an e-commerce store and customers request delivery from Slovakia, where the main supplier of the Turkish company is located, directly to their premises in any EU Member State.
Due to financial issues, the Turkish company has not paid its VAT liabilities despite submitting the OSS VAT returns on a timely basis.
Slovakian Tax Authorities have decided to exclude the company from the OSS Scheme.
Under these circumstances, the Turkish company:
The information about the supplies, available from EU Tax Authorities, will increase massively with the implementation of the Central Electronic System of Payment information (CESOP).
On 18 February 2020, the EU Council adopted a legislative package requesting payment service providers to transmit information on cross-border payments originating from Member States and on the beneficiary (“the payee”) of these cross-border payments.
Under this package, payment service providers offering services in the EU will have to monitor the payees of cross-border payments. They will have to transmit information on those who receive more than 25 cross-border payments per quarter to the administrations of the Member States.
As mentioned by the Tax Authorities:
Payment Service Providers in the EU will need to report cross-border payments on a quarterly basis as of Q1 2024, with the first report due by 30 April 2024.
We suggest double-checking the quality of the data included in your OSS Returns to the possibility of exclusion from the scheme.
Sovos’ experts are at your disposal to support you through a pre-audit of your data or corresponding with the Tax Authorities. Contact our team for more information.
With the publication of Resolution 097-2023, the National Superintendency of Customs and Tax Administration of Peru (SUNAT) has established the procedure for refunding the general sales tax (IGV) to tourists.
The establishment of this facility previously required a series of reforms and adjustments to Peruvian regulations. This regulation is preceded by Supreme Decree No. 226-2020-EF which modified the regulations of the General Sales Tax and Selective Consumption Tax Law to incorporate tax refunds for tourists – defined as foreign natural persons not domiciled in the country and who remain for no more than 60 days.
At the beginning of 2023, SUNAT published Resolution 005-2023 through which the regulation of payment vouchers and the rules on electronic issuance were modified. The administration changed the rules to allow the issuance of invoices to tourists entering the country.
This invoice can be issued at authorised establishments when goods are sold. In this case, the identification data of the purchaser will not be RUC but a passport.
SUNAT published Resolution 091/2023 in April 2023 to establish rules for the Register of Authorized Establishments (REA) to regulate the registration, permanence and exclusion of taxpayers for the right to return the IGV to tourists.
On the date of their departure from Peru, tourists who have not exceeded the authorised time of stay in the country can initiate the return procedure with the collaborating entity. Tourists can use the self-management kiosk or the mobile application, which is available inside international air or sea terminals.
The VAT refund procedure for tourists is as follows:
The payment to the credit or debit card will be made within five calendar days from the request being registered, discounting the commission that the collaborating entity charges for this service.
The checkpoint has been enabled since 2 May 2023 in the pre-boarding control area on the first floor of the Jorge Chávez International Airport.
Seeking more information on this change in Peru? Contact our team of tax experts.
Refer to this page about tax rules in different countries if you’d like to learn more.
The Ledger of Economic Operations (Libro Registro de Operaciones Económicas), also known as LROE, is a main compliance element of the Batuz tax control system. This system is under implementation in the province of Bizkaia, located in the autonomous Basque community in Spain.
Taxpayers under the Batuz mandate must comply with both TicketBAI and LROE obligations. While TicketBAI applies to invoice issuance, LROE rules require taxpayers to electronically record and report data on income, expenses and other fiscally relevant information to the tax authority in a structured format.
Regardless of size or business volume, individuals engaged in economic activities and organizations must meet LROE requirements if subject to Bizkaia regulations on Personal Income Tax, Corporate Tax or Non-Resident Income Tax for permanent establishments. The rule will come into effect on 1 January 2024 and includes taxpayers currently subject to Bizkaia’s SII (Immediate Supply of Information) mandate.
LROE is the electronic ledger where taxpayers must document several economic activities and report such financial information to the tax authority. Individuals engaged in economic activities report this information via model 140, while companies use model 240.
For compliance with LROE, taxpayers must record and transmit their sales, purchases and other financial data in a structured XML format according to legal technical specifications. Taxpayers can send the data in the ledger either through webservices or manually uploaded via the portal provided by the Bizkaia Tax Authority.
The structure of LROE information for companies and non-resident taxpayers with permanent establishment (model 240) is comprised of the following:
Certain chapters also contain subchapters. The chapter of issued invoices, for example, has a subchapter of issued invoices with guarantor software which requires transmitting data from invoices generated using TicketBAI.
In the case of Bizkaia, as taxpayers do not need to submit the TicketBAI XML (generated with the invoice) directly to the tax authority, they will send this data via the LROE subchapter in a specific TicketBAI field.
The deadline to submit the LROE files to the tax authority varies according to the type of taxpayer under the obligation.
The general deadline is quarterly. Taxpayers must report the data from when the transaction is carried out until 25 April, 25 July, 25 October, or 25 January – depending on the specific quarter.
The deadline for companies under the Bizkaia SII obligation to submit LROE records is four days from the operation’s completion, in line with the general SII deadline. The SII obligation will be considered fulfilled by submission of the LROE.
Failure to comply with the requirement to keep and submit LROE records electronically will result in a monetary fine. The proportionally calculated penalty is 0.5 percent of the transaction amount the taxpayer failed to report, with a quarterly minimum of 600 EUR and a maximum of 12,000 EUR.
By using the TicketBAI invoicing system and reporting the LROE, taxpayers will provide information to the tax authority so that it can fulfil the third element of the Batuz tax control system.
The third element of Batuz entails the preparation of pre-filled VAT draft returns and Corporate and Personal Income declarations, which will be available for taxpayers in Bizkaia from 2024 forward.
Need more information about Batuz LROE or tax in Bizkaia? Contact our team of experts today.
For an overview about other VAT-related requirements in Spain read this comprehensive page about VAT compliance in Spain.
Significant inflation increases have impacted most of the world’s economies, with the UK still above 10% in 2023. This increase means a reduction in the purchasing power of consumers. Together with increases in the cost of raw materials, this has created uncertainty regarding growth of entire industrial departments and reduced profit margins for companies.
The above is the perfect environment for an increase in the value of ‘safe-haven’ assets, such as houses, gold and works of art and antiques.
When we think about fine paintings, elegant furniture or statues, these can be valuable financially and generally increase in value over time.
However, investing in art may have certain VAT implications and, in the near future, it is one of the areas included as part of:
Following Brexit, France’s art market has increased, with a 7% global market share and $4.7bn in total sales in 2021.
One of the key factors of France’s success is the favourable reduced VAT rate of 5.5% for works of art.
Italy has a reduced VAT rate of 10% for art under certain conditions, and in the UK, the rate is 5%.
Along with general VAT rates rules, several existing derogations allow certain EU Member States to apply lower rates. Specific geographical features, social reasons for the benefit of the final consumer, or general interest justify these lower rates.
This creates a complicated map of VAT rates for operators to navigate.
There are two significant VAT changes due in 2025 that could impact the art sector:
Second-hand goods supplied under the margin schemes, works of art, collectors’ items and antiques will be subject to distance selling rules as of 1 January 2025. These rules make these goods subject to VAT in the Member State of arrival.
If works of art or antiques are not transported or dispatched, or if the transport starts and ends in the same Member State, the supply will be subject to VAT in the place where the customer is established, has their permanent address or usually resides.
This extension of the single VAT registration under the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme will allow a company to register for VAT uniquely in one EU Member State and report their B2C supplies in quarterly VAT Returns
The EU Directive 2022/542 of 5 April 2022 (that amends previous Directives 2006/112/EC and EU 2020/285), on rates of value added tax, aims to “safeguard the functioning of the internal market and avoid distortions of competition“. The Directive will enter into force on 1 January 2025.
This will require the application of the standard VAT rate to art. This potential change has already raised some concerns in the art market in France.
Italy views this change as an opportunity, with Undersecretary for Culture Vittorio Sgarbi saying that Italy intends to implement the EU directive that reduces VAT on the import of works of art from 10% to 5%.
The changes are ongoing and we will keep you updated on developments to art VAT rates across Europe as they unfold.
Need to discuss reduced VAT rates for art in Europe? Speak to our team of tax experts about how the upcoming changes could affect your business.
Note: The Finance Law for 2024 has been officially adopted and published in the Official Gazette on 30 December 2023. Our blog, France: B2B E-Invoicing Mandate Postponed, is promptly updated whenever there are changes to the rollout of the French mandate.
Tax compliance in France is already complicated. New e-invoicing and e-reporting regulations being introduced by the DGFIP will mean companies doing business in the French Republic face some of the most onerous compliance obligations of all VAT jurisdictions.
One significant change for many businesses will be the need to use Partner Dematerialization Platforms, also known as PDPs. The role of a PDP is highly specialised. Indeed, strict legal requirements and technical specifications must be met to become a registered PDP.
The timeline affecting all businesses is clear. However, depending on your industry, you may need to rely on a PDP to ensure you’re fully compliant with the new requirements. Key industries include:
Companies that need to use a PDP to achieve compliance with the French mandate face an additional, critical decision in what is already a complex new process to navigate. The need for a PDP raises the stakes, making it crucial to have dependable answers to the following:
We’ve created a rundown of key questions to consider when choosing a PDP.
In addition to the existing requirement for B2G invoices (Public Procurement), the French Mandate reform will require B2B invoices to be exchanged electronically. As each B2B e-invoice is progressed, its status will shift. There are 14 status possibilities that need to be communicated between trading parties. Of these 14, 4 must also be automatically reported to the tax authority platform. The result will be a huge amount of additional data flowing in multiple directions.
Additionally, the transaction details of B2B cross-border sales and purchases – excluding non-EU imports of goods – and B2C sales and payment data for Services Sales must be reported electronically to the tax authority.
Meeting these processing and capacity demands will be a significant undertaking for solution providers. For context, 100 million B2G e-invoices are processed annually. With the addition of B2B e-invoicing to the French mandate, this number will now be in the billions.
Why does this matter?
You want to be able to trust that your PDP can cope with increased capacity and processing needs as well as evolving compliance requirements. You want to set yourself up for success for France as well as to deal with the growing obligations across Europe and beyond.
The French Mandate is part of a global trend towards tax digitization. E-invoicing mandates are constantly changing, being modified and updated.
Take Italy, for example. Since January 2019, the e-invoicing mandate has been revised over 40 times.
The French tax authority has already released four versions of the upcoming French Mandate specifications and these will continue to evolve. Will your chosen software solution be robust enough to handle these changes so they don’t negatively impact your business? By asking the right questions, you may find that some aspiring PDPs, who also happen to be existing e-invoicing providers, are out of their depth.
On top of this, there’s the EU-wide VAT in the Digital Age initiative and the changes it will bring. Your future PDP must have the bandwidth and agility to keep up with the inevitability of these future developments. You will also need to consider whether this PDP can take care of your compliance needs beyond France too.
Trust is everything. A seasoned partner with experience navigating and solutioning for diverse e-invoicing obligations is important for your business. As government interest in business data grows, it’s essential to avoid blind spots, often created by complex supply chains, across multiple countries, within and beyond the EU. You’ll need a holistic view of your data that’s broader than e-invoicing and CTCs (continuous transaction controls). Think SAF-T and the other domestic obligations you face, alongside compliance challenges like VAT determination and periodic reporting.
If you’re also doing business beyond France, these need your attention too.
Let’s be clear. Despite what you may have heard about France’s e-invoicing mandate, this is not more of the same.
Yes, electronic invoice requirements used to be relatively manageable. They needed to be readable and unalterable, providing clear proof of the original supplier’s identity.
The scheme that will be introduced with France’s mandate complicates matters, adding requirements for:
Failure to meet the exact stipulations of the reform will result in invalid invoices.
Without legally valid invoices, not just VAT collection and VAT recovery are jeopardised: This would impact your company revenues and your trading partners, creating cash flow and profitability risks.
Make no mistake, the commercial and reputational impact of not meeting these minimum requirements are even more significant than the potential penalties.
French companies may be used to correcting e-invoice errors at a later date, but soon that will no longer be an option. The mandate ushers in continuous transaction controls, so any data or syntax errors will be glaring. If problems arise with e-invoicing, it won’t be possible to revert to paper or PDFs producing a significant cash flow risk for suppliers. E-invoices must be correct and compliant first time, every time.
Reliance on an experienced and knowledgeable PDP for e-invoicing and associated compliance obligations doesn’t just join the dots in your data. It makes good business sense.
For traditional e-invoicing, a large business network has been a supply chain advantage. A large network allows any one business to connect with a multitude of suppliers and buyers that choose to automate billing and invoice payments.
However, the interoperability requirements of the upcoming mandate erode the power of network size. Every supplier and buyer will need to connect through France’s e-invoicing system (Portail public de facturation or PPF) either directly, or indirectly through a PDP. Giving you more freedom when selecting the right PDP for your business.
While each registered PDP is required to cover both inbound and outbound invoice flows, they’re not required to cover all 36 specific use cases mentioned in the official documentation so far. Each use case needs an adapted treatment, which creates complexity that PDPs must address.
It’s important to ask any PDP you’re considering about their plans to address these use cases and any future ones that could arise as requirements evolve.
Our experts remain close to the requirements of the French Mandate. Especially as these evolve. Make it easy for yourself; connect with us.
Speak to us about our future-proof tax compliance solution, for the French Mandate and beyond, or download our deep dive guide on preparing for France’s mandatory continuous transaction controls.
Argentina has recently expanded its perception VAT (Value Added Tax) collection regime to ensure efficient tax administration. It has included selling food and other products for human consumption, beverages, personal hygiene, and cleaning items under its scope.
The Argentinian Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP) established this through Resolution No. 5329/2023 in early February 2023.
The new resolution aims to further expand the regime known as “Régimen de Percepción del Impuesto al Valor Agregado” to the categories related to food and other products for human consumption, beverages, personal hygiene, and cleaning items.
Taxpayers who issue invoices concerning these provisions must ensure compliance with the document data requirements, used as evidence of the collection for the final VAT calculation. This will be further discussed in this article.
The VAT Collection Regime in Argentina is a scheme by which the seller, designated as “Collection Agent”, charges the buyer an amount additional to the sale price. As a result, the supplier will charge the fee on top of the purchase value, which includes the price and the VAT.
This new regime obliges VAT-taxable persons to act as collection agents when selling food products for human consumption, beverages, personal hygiene and cleaning items. A few exceptions include meats, fruits and bread made exclusively from wheat flour, among others. Taxable people registered for VAT purposes will also be subject to this regime when acquiring said products.
The collection regime will only apply when each transaction amount exceeds ARS 3000.
The fee amount is determined by applying 3% to the net price of the operation resulting from the invoice or equivalent document.
This percentage will be 1.50% in the case of operations taxed with a rate equivalent to 50% of the general VAT tax rate.
The information and payment of the perceptions carried out under this regime will be reported through the Withholding Control System (SICORE), using code 602.
The resolution also establishes that the only valid document to prove the payment of the perceptions will be the invoice or equivalent document (issued under the current invoicing regulations). The document will record the amount received in a discriminated manner and with express mention of this regime.
Those taxable persons using “Fiscal Controllers” documents of “New Technology” to comply with the provisions of the preceding paragraph must use the section “Other Taxes” on the document.
The collection regime will be applicable for taxable events perfected as of 1 April 2023. As a result, sellers of food and other products for human consumption, beverages, personal hygiene and cleaning items will charge the buyer an additional 3% or 1.5% as appropriate on the sale price according to the applicable fee.
Need to ensure VAT compliance in Argentina? Get in touch with our tax experts.
Update: 8 March 2023
South Korea has recently approved a tax reform which introduces several measures for 2023, among which is the possibility of issuance of self-billing tax invoices.
This tax reform amends the current VAT law to allow the purchaser to issue invoices for the supply of goods and services.
However, this will only be allowed in specific circumstances, such as when the supplier cannot issue the invoice. The purchaser can claim a deduction for the related input VAT by issuing a self-billing invoice.
Therefore, issuing self-billing invoices for VAT-exempted supplies of goods and services will not be permitted. However, the issuance of self-billing invoices by the purchaser depends on confirmation from a district tax office.
This amendment will enter into force and apply to all supplies of goods and services from 1 July 2023.
This South Korean tax reform will expand the transactional scope of the country’s e-invoice issuance and continuous transaction control (CTC) reporting system (e-tax invoicing), as the transactions in the scope of e-tax invoicing are generally the same as those in the scope of VAT invoicing.
Interested in learning more about e-invoicing in South Korea? Contact a member of our expert team today.
Update: 17 January 2021 by Selin Adler Ring
Collection of real-time fiscal data is becoming one of the core public finance decision making tools. Transactional data provides a timely and reliable overview of the business sector, enabling governments to rely on analytical data in the decision-making process.
This is what has led many governments to adopt CTC regimes that require taxpayers to transmit their transactional data in real/ near-real time to government services. South Korea was one of the first countries to appreciate the benefits of a CTC regime and mandated reporting of e-invoice data to the government for certain taxpayers as early as 2011.
The year after the first implementation, the South Korean authorities expanded the mandate scope and the e-invoicing system became mandatory for more taxpayers. 2014 saw another expansion of the CTC mandate to reach its current scope.
The current system requires any business that is a corporate entity or an individual whose aggregate supply value for the immediately preceding tax year is KRW 300,000,000 or more to issue an e-invoice to the recipient of goods or services subject to VAT, as well as to report the invoice data to the government.
The South Korean e-invoicing system mandates the issuance of an e-invoice to the recipient and reporting of this invoice data to the government portal within a day of its issuance. Before e-invoices are transmitted, suppliers must digitally sign them with a PKI electronic signature. E-invoices are reported in an XML format to the National Tax Agency (NTS) Portal. Due to the near-real time reporting time-limit, the South Korean e-invoicing system falls under the category of CTC.
South Korea has implemented a comprehensive e-invoicing system from the beginning and as a result there haven’t been any major changes to the requirements or practices. This is a big relief for taxpayers in South Korea compared to other CTC jurisdictions where there are constant changes.
In addition to the benefits for taxpayers, a considered CTC regime is also less burdensome for the state as the implementation costs of the constant regulatory changes can be significant.
More and more governments are considering the adoption of CTC regimes and should look to South Korea as a success story for this approach which has worked well for both the government and taxpayers.
Please get in touch to discuss how Sovos can help your business comply with CTC regime reporting in South Korea or other jurisdictions subject to e-invoicing mandates.
The European Commission’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) proposal continues to unfold with the latest details published on 8 December 2022. As a result, many EU countries are stepping up their efforts towards digitising tax controls – including mandatory e-invoicing.
While we see different approaches to initiate this transition across Northern Europe, the trend towards continuous transaction controls (CTCs) and e-invoicing mandates has accelerated.
Recent statements indicate that Germany is taking steps towards a B2B e-invoicing mandate, however, without a centralised reporting or clearance element – at least for now. During a VAT conference on 10 March, the Federal Ministry of Finance announced that a draft paper will be published in a couple of weeks for the introduction of the e-invoicing mandate.
It is worth noting that Germany had previously requested a derogatory decision from the European Commission to implement a mandatory e-invoicing regime, as announced by the Ministry of Finance in November 2022.
Sweden is another country where it would not be surprising to see an e-invoicing requirement emerge. The Swedish Agency for Digital Government (DIGG) has expressed the desire to implement mandatory e-invoicing in the country.
With the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Companies Registration Office, DIGG has requested the government research the conditions for mandating e-invoicing in B2B and G2B flows, which would be added to the current B2G e-invoicing mandate.
The reasoning behind this request is that if the European Commission’s ViDA proposal is adopted, it will result in mandatory e-invoicing in cross-border flows. Therefore the national system should align for efficiency purposes. DIGG does not believe that alignment will occur voluntarily, but a mandate will be necessary.
In Finland, no mandatory B2B e-invoicing mandate is in place. However, buyers can receive a structured electronic invoice from their suppliers if requested. This regulation has been in effect since April 2020 for all Finnish companies with a turnover exceeding €10,000.
Furthermore, the Finnish government recently demonstrated their support of electronic invoicing by sending a letter to Parliament outlining its benefits. The government sees electronic invoicing as a means of increasing business efficiency and combatting VAT fraud through the ViDA package.
Lithuania is laying the groundwork for the broader use of e-invoices. It has announced plans to build a technological solution that complies with the European standard for the transmission of electronic invoices.
The platform is expected to be available free of charge to businesses for at least five years and should be ready by September 2023. Additionally, the platform will meet Peppol Network requirements and comply with Peppol BIS 3.0.
Denmark has also been working on digitizing the business processes by implementing a new bookkeeping law. The Danish Business Authority has initiated implementing the Bookkeeping Act’s digital bookkeeping provisions by adopting draft executive orders for standard digital bookkeeping systems and their registration.
As a result, providers of standard digital bookkeeping systems must adapt their systems to the new requirements by 31 October 2023 at the latest. The new provisions stipulate that traditional digital bookkeeping systems must support the automatic sending and receiving of e-invoices in OIOUBL and PEPPOL BIS format.
While Denmark has not announced the final dates, it expects taxpayers to adhere to the digital bookkeeping rules between 2024 and 2026.
Speak to a member of our team if you have further questions about e-invoicing.
Update: 4 October 2022 by Enis Gencer
The recent EU Commission report on the VAT in the Digital Age Initiative indicates that continuous transaction controls (CTCs) will become more prevalent across Europe. The final report suggests introducing an EU-wide CTC e-invoicing system covering both intra-EU and domestic transactions as the best policy option. While Eastern European countries have been at the forefront of local implementations, acting swiftly and introducing CTCs, it’s also worth keeping an eye on some of the developments in Northern Europe.
Following the 2021 national elections, the new coalition government in Germany identified VAT fraud as a policy question. It announced its intention to introduce a nationwide electronic reporting system as soon as possible, which will be used for the creation, checking, and forwarding of invoices. Although there are no details about the nature of the system, discussions are ongoing with stakeholders from the private sector, mainly focusing on the implementation timeline and the government’s role in such a system.
B2G e-invoicing has been mandatory for invoices issued to the federal administration since 2020. The scope was expanded from 1 January 2022 to include state-owned authorities in Baden-Wurttemberg, Hamburg, and Saarland, with the next states joining in 2023 and 2024. Moreover, the IT Planning Council, the Central Body for the digitization of administration in Germany, issued the decision 2022/31 advising all contracting authorities to accept electronic invoices via the PEPPOL network by 1 October 2023 to connect the entire public area in a uniform manner.
Denmark is also aiming to introduce new requirements to digitize the business processes of Danish companies. On 19 May 2022, the Danish Parliament passed a new accounting law requiring taxpayers to make their bookings electronically using a digital accounting system. The mandate will take effect gradually between 2024 and 2026, depending on the company’s form and turnover.
While the new accounting law doesn’t introduce any mandatory e-invoicing or CTC obligations, it is envisaged that the digital accounting systems must support continuous registration of the company’s transactions and the automation of administrative processes, including automatic transmission and receipt of e-invoices. The Ministry of Finance has been authorised to adopt rules requiring companies to register purchase and sales transactions with electronic invoices as the documentation of the transactions, which in practice would amount to an e-invoicing mandate.
The Danish Business Authority, Erhvervsstyrelsen, has prepared drafts for three executive orders concerning the new digital bookkeeping requirements. According to draft regulations, digital accounting systems are required to support the automatic sending and receiving of e-invoices in OIOUBL and PEPPOL BIS format. These systems must be able to share the company’s accounting data by generating a standard file, which is the Danish SAF-T Standard recently published by Erhvervsstyrelsen.
The draft regulations will be available for public consultation until 27 October and the requirements are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2023. There will be a conversion period until 1 October 2023 for digital accounting systems to comply with the requirements.
Sweden is another country looking at introducing digital reporting requirements. The Swedish Tax Administration, Skatteverket, is considering different ways to ensure the correct collection of VAT while obtaining useful economic data from businesses. The project is still at an early phase, and while such requirements could mean introducing Standard Tax Audit File (SAF-T) requirements or a type of CTC, e-reporting, or e-invoicing, the tax authorities would still strive to implement a smooth system for businesses.
The Latvian Ministry of Finance has been working on digitizing invoicing processes for a while. They conducted a public consultation and took into consideration opinions of companies and non-governmental organizations to find out the readiness to start using e-invoices in Latvia.
As a result, the Ministry of Finance prepared a report discussing the current situation and the implementation of e-invoices, and possible technological solutions. The report focuses on different e-invoicing systems, such as post-audit e-invoicing, centralised e-invoicing, and decentralised e-invoicing, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of such systems.
The report favours the PEPPOL BIS standard for the introduction of mandatory e-invoicing in B2B and B2G transactions and proposes the use of e-invoices must be defined as an obligation in Latvian regulations, setting a mandatory requirement for the use of e-invoices to start no later than 2025.
The Latvian government approved the report, and the necessary regulatory acts, hence implementation of technological solutions are expected to take shape in due course.
It’s clear that CTC initiatives are becoming increasingly popular among governments and tax authorities in Europe, with the Northern European countries starting to follow this trend, even if they seem to be acting more cautiously. It will be very interesting to see how and when these CTC projects take shape and be affected by the upcoming results from the EU Commission on the VAT in the Digital Age project.
Need help with e-invoicing requirements? Get in touch with our tax experts.