Germany – VAT groups
The federal tax court of Germany (Bundesfinanzhof – BFH) has changed its position on the rules for organizational integration of companies into value added tax (VAT) groups. As per the BFH, a consequence of a “merger into a single taxpayer” as
See MoreAustralia: GST fraud in gold industry is in target
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) on 30 October 2013 announced that it is investigating companies within the gold bullion sector for a total of AU$65 million ($61.5 million) of alleged goods and services tax (GST) fraud. The investigation is a part
See MoreLithuania – Regulation for VAT on credit, debit documents
An observation has been issued concerning provisions under Lithuania’s value added tax (VAT) law regarding credit notes and debit documents. The guidance describes as when: a condition to issue a credit VAT letter or a debit certificate
See MoreIreland introduces construction VAT relief
The Irish Ministry of Finance has published the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2013 giving force to measures announced in the 2014 Budget, and bringing forward the introduction of the value-added tax incentive for home renovations. VAT relief is being granted
See MoreJapan: Changes to consumption tax and corporate income tax
The Japanese government officially announced on 1st October 2013 its plan to modify “consumption tax” and “corporate income tax”. The highlights of the plan are summarized below: Consumption tax: In the period between 1 April 2014 and 30
See MoreItaly –Government Increases the VAT Rate to 22%
With effect from 1 October 2013, the standard VAT rate on goods and services has increased from 21% to 22%. The reduced rates of 10% and 4% are kept unchanged. The correct rate to use for the supply of goods is the rate prevailing on the first of
See MoreIreland: Budget for 2014
The Minister for Finance presented the Budget to the Parliament on 15 October 2013. The most important features of the Budget are as follows: Under the 2014 Budget, the corporation tax rate remains unchanged; Reduced VAT rate of 9% on various
See MoreIndia – Government has raised VAT processing charges
In India the fee for accepting and processing Indian VAT annual returns was previously a flat INR 800 irrespective of the values in the return. But recently the Indian central government has raised the charges for accepting and processing Indian VAT
See MoreHungary considering 35% luxury VAT rate
In connection with drafting the 2014 budget, Hungary is still considering introducing a super VAT rate of 35% on luxury goods. This would raise more money for the government without having any effect on the price of essential goods or services. A
See MoreFrance: Mandatory Online Tax Reporting Threshold
The French Finance Ministry announced on 17 October 2013 a reduction in the threshold for application of the mandatory on-line reporting obligations, for companies in France not subject to corporation tax (IS) in 2013-2014. From October 1, 2013,
See MoreBelgium: Transition regime related to VAT
A transition regime in relation to VAT is being extended by the Belgian authorities during 2014. The regime permits taxpayer an opportunity to apply new rules for deciding the point in time when VAT is chargeable on invoices issued in advance of
See MorePeru- Decree on VAT Collection System published
The Supreme Decree 243-2013-EF of Peru has been published which will enter into force on 30 October 2013. The Decree has established computational rules for the application of the VAT Collection System in relation to the importation of goods with
See MoreIndia: introducing VAT compliance with more fines
India will introduce a new range of fines to help improve the weak compliance record of many firms, following a recent increase in the number of Indian VAT audits. From 12 September 2013, India announcing an increased fine regime, including: Late
See MoreFrance -Revision to VAT rates
The government of France is planning to raise the current standard VAT rate from 19% to 20 % and to increase the intermediate rate of VAT from 7% to 10% from 2014. This will increase the fiscal burden on households in France by around EUR 6bn
See MoreChina: Clarifies VAT exempt services rules
Following the launch of the Chinese VAT pilot in 2012, the Chinese tax authorities released detailed guidance on September 2013 on the rules around the exemptions for VAT on export services. The services covered by the exemptions include transport
See MoreBulgaria- Cash Accounting in VAT
Due to recent cases in tax field Bulgaria plans to initiate some changes to the Value Added Tax regime to match its tax code with the EU VAT Directive in future. The above changes will come into effect on January 1, 2014, once approved. The changes
See MoreSpain: drops requirement to submit records with VAT returns
The VAT authorities of Spain have decided to withdraw a requirement to submit supporting VAT records with monthly VAT returns. The requirement was originally introduced in 2009. According to this requirement all Spanish VAT registered businesses
See MoreItaly: VAT rate will rise to 22% from 1 October 2013
The move to delay the Italian VAT rise to 22% until 1 January 2014 has failed. This means that the Italian VAT rate will rise to 22% from 1 October 2013. Registered businesses should therefore ensure that all necessary procedures are in place to
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