Japan: Confirms Consumption Tax Rate Changes by 2015
From April 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015, the rate of Japanese consumption tax will be increased from the current 5% rate to a higher 8% rate. The government is also considering a further increase from 8% to 10% from October 1, 2015. Also under
See MoreLuxembourg: VAT rate will increase
The Luxembourg Prime Minister has announced that, Luxembourg is set to raise its standard rate of VAT in 2015. The standard VAT rate is currently 15% and at present it is the lowest standard rate in the EU. The Prime Minister has indicated that the
See MoreFrance: Reduced VAT rate on digital newspapers and magazines
The French government is about to propose a VAT reduction for digital newspapers and magazines. The intention behind this move is to provide a level playing field for different forms of publication. The government wants to give the digital versions
See MorePeru – Resolution changes withholding rate for VAT
On 1 February 2014 Peru’s tax administration issued a resolution concerning changes to the withholding rate for value added tax (VAT). This rate applies to the supplier, who must withhold the tax in respect of a transaction that is liable for VAT.
See MoreSpain extends latest deadline for cash accounting
The opportunity for Spanish companies to join the new cash reporting VAT scheme has been extend to 31 March 2014. The Spanish VAT cash accounting scheme was announced last year to help small businesses better manage their cash flows. It enables
See MoreSingapore levies Goods and Services Tax on Bitcoin
The Singapore tax authorities have recently issued guidance that the virtual digital currency, Bitcoin, is subject to Singapore goods and services tax (GST) at 7%. Although some financial services are exempt from VAT Bitcoin is regarded as a service
See MoreFrance – New VAT rates for 2014
With effect from 1 January 2014, the rates of value added tax (VAT) in France have been changed and are now as follows: The standard VAT rate is increased from 19.6% to 20%. The intermediary VAT rate which is applicable to the food service
See MoreBelgium increases quarterly VAT return threshold
The normal rule is that VAT returns are submitted on a monthly basis in Belgium. There is however a quarterly filing option for smaller businesses whose turnover is below a certain threshold. The annual turnover threshold for companies
See MoreVietnam – Tax forms and VAT methods
According to Decree No. 156/2013/TT-BTC, in effect from 1 January 2014, new tax forms are to be used by organizations and entities in Vietnam. Enterprises are to pay trade union dues at a rate of 2% of total salary amounts used to compute social
See MoreSpain – VAT changes effective in 2014
Spain’s value added tax law Changes which made by Law 14/2013, Royal Decree 828/2013, Order 2214/2013, Royal Decree 1042/2013, and Law 22/2013—generally were effective beginning 1 January 2014. In general, the principle change concerns a new VAT
See MoreSpain rejects call to raise VAT to 23%
The Spanish Finance Minister has rejected a call by an influential tax committee to increase its standard value added tax (VAT) rate to 23% to help reduce the budget deficit. Spain has already undergone some of the steepest rises in VAT. The Spanish
See MorePoland: 2014 VAT Law
The 2014 Poland VAT Law, which came into effect on 1 January 2014, brings about major changes to the Polish VAT compliance regime. Key changes relate to the tax point in Poland, the VAT base and on intra community supplies within the EU. VAT will
See MorePoland: Amendments to input VAT deductions for automobiles
A draft modification to the rules for input value added tax (VAT) deduction for vehicles has been published, and is expected to be effective from March 2014. The proposed amendments will introduce limitations of the right to claim input VAT,
See MoreIreland: Anti-VAT fraud measures
To prevent fraud in Irish VAT compliance, the Irish government introduced a number of measures through its Finance Bill which came into effect from 1 January 2014. VAT registered businesses will have to refund to the Irish Revenue any deducted input
See MoreEU Steps Up Actions to Decelerate Custom Fraud
The European Commission expressed their intention to strengthen their effort to anti-fraud operations with the cooperation of the customs and tax authorities. As a part of its six-month European Union (EU) Presidency, Lithuania organized a Joint
See MoreSpain: Further VAT Rises Unlikely
The Finance Minister has confirmed that further VAT rises will not take place in the near future. The Advisory Committee for Tax Reform had suggested increases in the headline VAT rate from 10% and 21% to 13% and 23% respectively. External advice
See MoreIndonesia: VAT registration threshold increased
Indonesia has increased its VAT registration threshold from IDR 0.6bn to IDR 4.8bn per year in taxable turnover with effect from 1 January 2014. The stated goal is to reduce the VAT compliance burden for small and medium sized businesses. The
See MoreEgypt: Reconsidering a VAT system
Egypt is considering the introduction of a value added tax (VAT) system to replace the current sales tax. It is understood that this has been identified as a priority; the likely VAT rate will be around 10% with higher rates for such items as
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