The Royal Decree of December 17th, 2023, postponing the starting date for the amendments to the Belgian VAT chain was recently published.
This postponement follows the enactment of the Law aiming to improve the Belgian VAT compliance chain, of March 12, 2023, which introduced measures concerning the processing of periodic VAT returns and payments. Originally expected to enter into effect in January 2024, the possibility of postponement until January 1st, 2025, now triggered by the Belgian government, was foreseen in the law itself.
The most relevant measures introduced to improve the VAT compliance chain are:
- Implementation of a substitute VAT return by the tax authorities when the taxpayer failed to submit their VAT return within 3 months of the legal deadline;
- more flexibility towards VAT refunds, allowing taxpayers to request a VAT refund not just in their VAT return but also through the “My minfin” platform; and
- extending the deadline for submission and payment of the quarterly VAT from the 20th of the month following the filling period to the 25th.
You can read more about these measures here.
