Global VAT & Indirect Tax News

Chile’s new administration announced a proposal to temporarily suspend VAT on residential property sales for one year, aiming to revive a stagnant housing market. The measure could lower final housing prices by 3‑8%, but input VAT on construction costs would become non‑creditable and must be capitalised. Its success hinges on congressional approval and swift implementation.

The UK government’s Simplified Customs Declaration Process (SCDP) offers a two‑stage electronic declaration method that reduces border controls for authorised traders. Importers must be pre‑authorised, hold an EORI number, and submit a supplementary declaration within ten calendar days of the reporting period’s end, keeping records for four years.

The European Commission has opened a public consultation to revise the EU e‑Invoicing Directive, offering three options that range from mandatory use of the EN 16931 standard for B2G transactions above thresholds to a full EU‑wide rollout with interoperability requirements and EU‑level governance. The consultation runs from 18 March to 10 June 2026 and seeks input on how to accelerate harmonisation ahead of the ViDA mandate, which will require structured e‑invoicing for intra‑EU B2B by July 2030.

Germany is preparing XRechnung 4.0, the next major version of its national e‑invoice standard, to align with the revised EN 16931‑1:2026. The new standard will break the one‑order‑one‑delivery rule, add B2B‑specific fields, and will not be backward compatible with XRechnung 3.0. Businesses must plan for the transition as the German e‑invoicing mandate requires all e‑invoices by 1 January 2028, likely using XRechnung 4.0.

Trinity Christian School in Reading closed after 13 years, citing the removal of VAT exemption on private school fees and rising business rates as the main reasons. The UK government introduced VAT on private school fees from 1 January 2025 at the standard 20% rate, expected to raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30. The school’s business rates increased to £35,000 from about £5,000, and its application for discretionary relief was denied.

The Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that the 2000 amendment removing the explicit VAT exemption for travel agencies providing services outside the EU does not alter the tax status of those services. The court confirmed that, under the EU standstill provision, services remain taxable even without an explicit national deviation. Travel agencies must therefore account for Belgian VAT on services such as hotels and flights for trips outside the EU.

This webinar, scheduled for March 26, 2026, will cover e‑invoicing and digital reporting obligations across Northern Europe, including Germany, Poland, the Nordics, and the Baltics. Participants will learn about upcoming timelines, the shift to real‑time compliance and CTC models, and practical steps for centralizing and automating reporting. The session aims to help organizations prepare for evolving regulatory requirements in the region.

This article outlines the tax and compliance requirements for online stores operating in Bulgaria, including mandatory registration with the National Revenue Agency, submission of monthly audit files, and conditions triggering VAT registration. It also explains cross‑border obligations such as OSS, VIES, and Intrastat for EU and non‑EU transactions.

This article argues that e‑invoicing does not create new problems but instead exposes existing process failures. It highlights how structured invoices enforce strict validation rules in countries such as Italy, India, and Germany, and cites adoption statistics following Italy’s 2019 mandate. The piece also discusses the impact of e‑invoicing on exception rates, processing costs, and cycle times.

HMRC’s Brief 9 confirms that supplies of locum doctors are exempt from VAT under Item 5, Group 7, Schedule 9 of the VAT Act 1994. The guidance also explains how businesses can claim refunds for over‑declared output tax on such supplies made within the last four years, and notes that HMRC is reviewing policy and will issue updated guidance in due course.

The article examines the European Court of Justice ruling on loyalty programme vouchers, noting that while some advisers praised the court’s definition of a voucher for VAT purposes, a UK partner highlighted unanswered questions. It offers expert commentary on the implications for VAT compliance in the EU and the UK.

HMRC has released guidance (GfC18) to help businesses in the oil and gas sector determine the VAT place of supply for services. The document outlines special place of supply rules, general rules, fixed establishment rules and other factors that may affect VAT treatment. It is intended to reduce the risk of errors and penalties.

Argentina has reduced the VAT on electricity used in agro‑industrial irrigation systems to 10.5% effective 1 April 2026, cutting the standard 21% rate in half. The measure, part of the Labour Modernisation Law, targets energy consumption linked to irrigation to lower input costs for farmers and support export competitiveness.

From 20 March 2026, Cambodia will reduce the VAT rate on gasoline and diesel from 10% to 4%, with the government absorbing the remaining 6% to subsidise fuel consumption. The temporary measure applies to both B2B and B2C sales and requires updates to invoicing and e‑filing systems. The change is part of a broader effort to manage energy‑driven inflation without altering the overall VAT framework.

This webinar discusses how Booking.com scaled its e‑invoicing compliance across multiple European markets by centralizing tax data and partnering with Fonoa. The presentation highlights the shift from a country‑by‑country approach to a unified strategy, the cross‑functional collaboration required, and practical guidance on vendor selection and implementation planning.

Spain's Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree mandating B2B e‑invoicing for all businesses and professionals. The phased rollout begins with the Treasury ministerial order, expected before 1 July 2026, with compliance deadlines of 12 months for firms over €8 million and 24 months for others. Structured electronic invoices in FacturaE, UBL or CII formats must be used, and non‑compliance can trigger fines up to €10 000 per infraction.

KPMG releases its latest installment of the Taxation of the Digitalized Economy series, summarising VAT and indirect tax updates that affect digital platforms and cross‑border services. The update covers new VAT responsibilities in Chile, Significant Economic Presence rules in Côte d’Ivoire, DAC8 crypto and platform reporting progress in the EU, and emerging VAT measures for digital services in Jamaica, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Mexico and Poland. These developments are relevant for businesses relying on digital business models, platforms and data‑driven services.

Governments worldwide are banning PDF invoices in favor of structured e-invoicing formats, with Belgium mandating Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 from 1 January 2026 and the EU’s ViDA regulation requiring structured invoices for all intra‑EU B2B transactions by July 2030. France, Germany, Poland, and India also have specific structured‑invoice mandates, creating a global shift toward machine‑readable data. The article explains the legal, operational, and cost implications of this transition for finance teams.

Basware’s latest blog post outlines ten key performance indicators that distinguish high‑performing organizations in e‑invoicing compliance. The research, based on responses from 400 finance, tax, IT, and compliance leaders, highlights challenges such as limited visibility into evolving mandates and reliance on spreadsheets, and offers practical steps for building a strategic compliance capability.

The Philippine Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has announced that transactions involving indigenous natural gas are exempt from value-added tax (VAT). This decision applies to all such transactions and is intended to support indigenous communities.