Managed Services for VAT Compliance

Many multinational companies find VAT compliance challenging, especially when trading cross-border. With the increase in real-time reporting across Europe and differing VAT registration and reporting requirements, VAT compliance now requires significant resources and specialist knowledge to ensure compliance and avoid costly penalties. As your business expands, so do your VAT obligations. This is why many organisations, turn to managed service providers to ease the burden of VAT compliance, audits and fiscal representation. This e-book discusses the many elements of VAT compliance including:
  • VAT registration
  • Fiscal representation
  • How to determine VAT obligations
  • Filing VAT returns
  • Preparing for an audit
  • Managing VAT changes
  • VAT compliance advice from JD Sports’ Indirect Tax Manager
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How JD Sports manage VAT compliance with Sovos’ Managed Services

John Dowd, Indirect Tax Manager at sport-fashion retailer JD Sports discusses how he managed cross-border VAT compliance with the help of Sovos’ managed services

“For us at JD Sports and me personally I’m looking for a partnership, something long term, as it takes time and costs money to change advisors. I’m looking for a long-term relationship over a number of years with a VAT service provider.

“I want my advisor to have specialist knowledge, for us that’s retail and cross-border supply chains, overseas tax authorities, and I want to see new talent joining the team. I prefer a single point of contact to make it easier to move things along and of course, competitive pricing, and Sovos ticked all of these boxes for us.”

John Dowd, Indirect Tax Manager at JD Sports

The many elements of VAT compliance

VAT compliance has many elements, beginning with an understanding of place of supply rules to determine where VAT registration is required. Fiscal representation might be required to register in EU Member States.

Once VAT registration is underway, the next step is to determine EU VAT obligations by mapping the supply chain for the country of registration. There are also additional requirements to consider including exemptions, recovering VAT, Intrastat and varying continuous transaction controls (CTCs) mandates.

Submitting VAT returns to ensure compliance is a never-ending process. Each country has its own VAT return regulations and additional declaration requirements.

The VAT compliance cycle also includes preparation for VAT audits. Tax authorities can carry out audits for a variety of reasons so it’s important businesses prepare for audits and ensure they are able to manage the process successfully.

How Sovos VAT Managed Services can help with VAT compliance

Sovos’ end-to-end, technology-enabled VAT Managed Services can ease your compliance workload and mitigate risk where-ever you operate today, while ensuring you’re ready to handle the VAT requirements in the markets you intend to dominate tomorrow.

Download the VAT managed services e-book