Brussels, 06/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - In a press release dated 30 June, PricewaterhouseCoopers calls on the European Commission to take steps to ensure more rigorous implementation of its VAT Directives. According to the consultancy firm, not only the "new" but also the "old" Member States have "partially, or even wrongly" transposed the European VAT Directives into their national legislation. As a result, the internal market lacks harmonisation, which "creates hurdles that cost business". This is the case, for example, of the VAT applied in the telecommunications sector. PricewaterhouseCoopers noted that 11 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) have still not included this new legislation into their national legislation.
In the same press release, PricewaterhouseCoopers announces the publication of "A Guide to VAT in the EU of 25 Countries". The work is an updated edition. It mainly contains the VAT Directive, a detailed study of the situation in each Member State as well as the answers to 75 questions that companies most frequently ask PricewaterhouseCoopers experts. (To consult the Guide: http://www.globalvatonline.com ).