In a draft EU Council conclusions dated Tuesday 1 March, of which EUROPE had obtained a copy, the French Presidency (FPEU) takes stock of the implementation of the VAT package on e-commerce. “The completion of the implementation of the rules on e-commerce is a major priority”, the document says.
According to the draft conclusions, the EU Council “welcomes the preliminary results, presented by the Commission, of the evaluation at technical level of the correct application of the new EU VAT rules on e-commerce” and considers that the VAT rules for businesses should be clarified and simplified.
The VAT One-Stop Shop and the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) are good tools to achieve this. Member States are in the process of completing their commissioning.
The FPEU invites the Commission to further explore the implications of making the use of IOSS mandatory, in close cooperation with customs authorities.
It also looks forward to the Commission’s “VAT for the Digital Age” initiative, which should address VAT reporting requirements and e-invoicing, the VAT regime for the platform economy and a single EU VAT registration.
The Commission’s proposals must be “fully assessed as regards their economic, administrative and social costs and benefits for taxpayers and tax authorities”, the French authorities stress.
At the moment, the Commission is in the process of public consultation on this issue. The call for contributions, launched last Thursday 20 January, will close on Thursday 5 May. Adoption by the Commission is expected in the third quarter of 2022.
To read the draft conclusions (in French): https://aeur.eu/f/mw (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)