The February 2026 Global VAT Guide provides a concise overview of recent VAT and e‑invoicing developments across Europe, the EU, Japan and Mexico. Key updates include Belgium’s new place‑of‑supply rules for virtual events, Croatia’s extended VAT return deadline, the Czech Republic’s InstatEvo transition, a temporary €3 customs duty on low‑value goods in the EU, and changes to Belgium’s federal tax payment BIC code.

The article reviews recent EU Court of Justice rulings that clarify the VAT treatment of transfer‑pricing adjustments in intragroup transactions. It explains that payments calculated under OECD methods may be treated as VAT‑subjected remuneration for services, while unilateral profit allocations are generally outside VAT scope. The piece also highlights the pending Stellantis Portugal opinion and the need for businesses to document services and support evidence to secure VAT recoverability.

The OECD’s 2026 report outlines guidance on Digital Continuous Transactional Reporting (DCTR), urging jurisdictions to adopt real‑time VAT transaction reporting and structured e‑invoicing. It highlights the EU’s ViDA initiative, slated for rollout by 2030, and the requirement for intra‑EU invoicing interoperability by 2035. Businesses are advised to modernise ERP and billing systems, improve data quality, and strengthen security to meet the forthcoming digital compliance landscape.

The article discusses the EU’s longstanding VAT exemption for financial services, noting that the exemption was introduced in 1977 and remains in place across EU member states, Iceland, and the UK. It reviews the European Parliament’s February 2026 draft report, which calls for modernising the tax framework, highlights the 91 sector‑specific taxes that have emerged, and explores options such as abolishing the exemption for B2B services or differentiating between B2B and B2C. The piece underscores the hidden costs, market distortions, and competitiveness concerns that the current exemption creates.

CEN approved an updated EN 16931‑1 e‑invoicing standard on 13 February 2026, adding new mandatory fields for B2B transactions and aligning with the July 2030 Digital Reporting Requirements. The revision supports both B2B and B2G use, enabling ViDA users to comply without costly system rebuilds.

This guide explains the EU-wide €10,000 distance‑selling threshold for cross‑border B2C sales and how it is affected by multi‑country storage. It also covers the 2025 SME VAT exemption scheme and the implications for local VAT registration and OSS use when goods are stored in multiple EU countries.

The European Union has approved a flat €3 customs duty on low‑value parcels valued below €150, effective 1 July 2026, as a temporary measure before broader customs reform in 2028. The rule applies by item type rather than per box and aims to curb unfair competition from direct‑to‑consumer imports, especially from China.

The European General Court issued a preliminary ruling (Case No. T‑657/24) on 9 February 2026 clarifying that credit intermediaries are exempt from VAT only when they canvass and source customers for mortgage‑loan agreements and assist with preparatory work before agreements are concluded. A Portuguese credit intermediary’s commission‑based mortgage‑loan intermediation was challenged, and the court held that unless these conditions are met, the services are taxable.

EU Council has approved a temporary flat €3 customs duty per item for low‑value e‑commerce imports (≤€150) from third countries, effective 1 July 2026 until July 2028. The levy targets non‑EU sellers registered under the Import One‑Stop Shop, covering about 93 % of parcels, and is separate from VAT. It will be replaced by the EU Customs Data Hub in 2028, after which standard customs tariffs will apply.

The European Parliament’s ECON committee has released a draft report urging the removal of the long‑standing VAT exemption for financial and insurance services under Directive 2006/112/EC. The report highlights the distortions caused by the exemption, the proliferation of over 90 sector‑specific taxes across the EU, and calls for a coordinated framework that taxes identifiable fees, clarifies emerging services, and harmonises cost‑sharing mechanisms.

A draft European Parliament report dated Feb. 4 calls for changes to the VAT exemption for the EU’s financial sector, arguing it is misaligned with today’s economic and technological realities. The report proposes coordinated EU‑wide taxation where feasible and minimum standards for temporary windfall taxation to align exceptional profits with long‑term public investment priorities. It was authored by German MEP Matthias Ecke.

A leading global SaaS provider discovered that 10% of its customer tax IDs were missing or invalid, exposing over $9 million in potential annual VAT shortfalls. The article highlights gaps in the EU VIES system, varying validation frequency requirements across jurisdictions, and the operational benefits of automated tax ID validation.

The article explains how the upcoming ViDA framework will eliminate tolerance for inconsistencies between VAT determination, invoicing and reporting, pushing control to the transaction level. It highlights that intra‑EU transactions will require near real‑time digital reporting, and notes key future dates for reverse‑charge harmonisation and the withdrawal of the European Sales Listing. The piece also discusses the implications for triangulation and supply‑chain transactions and promotes a single‑engine solution for compliance.

The European General Court issued an order on 21 January 2026 in Case No. T-394/25, upholding the EU VAT deemed supplier model that requires online platforms to collect and remit VAT for short‑term accommodation rentals. The court found the taxpayer’s challenge inadmissible under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. This decision confirms the compliance obligations for platforms operating in the EU short‑term accommodation market.

The blog outlines emerging trends in intra‑group loan transfer pricing for 2026, highlighting recent court rulings in Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands that tighten documentation and credit‑rating requirements. It stresses the need for fact‑specific debt‑capacity analyses, robust credit‑rating methodologies, and clear contractual terms to mitigate audit risk. Multinationals should align loan terms with arm‑s‑length principles and document them comprehensively.

The article introduces a robot that automates the validation of EU VAT numbers via the VIES API, reducing manual effort and errors. It outlines a four‑step process that extracts VAT numbers from any file format, checks them against the VIES database, generates a PDF and Excel report, and emails the results. The service promises faster, 100% accurate validation and frees users to focus on higher‑value tasks.

The ViDA directive amends Article 217 of the EU VAT Directive, requiring electronic invoices to be issued, transmitted, and received in structured formats such as XML, EDI, or Factur‑X. Effective 31 December 2030, the directive also removes the need for recipient acceptance and will trigger automatic pre‑filling of tax data, creating a velocity mismatch for businesses that still park invoices. Companies must transition to structured formats and reconcile pre‑filled data with their own books to avoid audit issues.

The European Commission’s ViDA strategy outlines a phased reform of VAT systems across the EU, introducing real‑time digital reporting, mandatory e‑invoicing, and platform‑economy rules. Key milestones include legislative clarifications (2025‑2027), platform rules for accommodation and transport (2028), mandatory e‑invoicing for intra‑EU B2B (2030), and full harmonisation of digital reporting (2035). The reforms aim to save businesses €51 billion and reduce fraud by up to €11 billion annually.

The EU is proposing two new customs charges for small‑value imported parcels: a €2 handling fee effective November 2026 and a flat €3 duty on goods below €150 effective July 2026. These charges would be paid via the IOSS monthly return and could undermine the scheme by increasing costs and operational complexity. The measures are temporary, pending 2028 customs reforms, and will be reviewed every three months.

The article explains the EU VAT Directive’s call‑off stock simplification, which exempts the transfer of goods between Member States from VAT when a single, predetermined customer is known. It contrasts this with consignment stock, which triggers a deemed intra‑Community supply and requires VAT registration in the destination country. Practical compliance requirements such as maintaining stock registers, submitting EC Sales List reports, and potential Intrastat reporting are also outlined.