Finland’s Parliament approved a bill on 28 November 2025 that introduces a 13.5% VAT rate on specified services, goods, and imports of collectibles and antiques. The new rate and related provisions take effect on 20 December 2025, covering all tax obligations from that date, including intra‑community acquisitions. The legislation will enter into force on the same day.
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Numeral · about 4 hours ago
Finland’s 2026 VAT regime includes a new reduced rate of 13.5% for foodstuffs, animal feed and certain agricultural products, effective January 2026. Finnish businesses must register for VAT when turnover exceeds €15,000, while non‑resident firms must register on any taxable sales with no threshold. EU B2C distance sellers face a €10,000 cross‑border sales threshold that triggers Finnish VAT registration or OSS use, and the reverse charge mechanism allows foreign suppliers to avoid registration if all sales are B2B reverse charge.
VatCalc · about 24 hours ago
The UK Court of Appeal on 12 June 2026 ruled that Bolt cannot use the Tour Operators Margin Scheme (TOMS) and must charge full 20% VAT on the entire fare. This reverses earlier tribunal decisions that had allowed Bolt to apply TOMS. The ruling has implications for other ride‑sharing operators such as Uber.
TaxPolicy · 1 day ago
A proposed permanent reduction of the UK hospitality VAT rate from 20% to 10% would cost an estimated £12‑14 bn per year, with the bulk of the benefit accruing to large chains such as McDonald’s. The analysis argues the cut is mis‑targeted, unlikely to lower prices, and would create incentives for businesses to re‑characterise activities to qualify for the lower rate. It suggests alternative measures—such as business‑rate reform or NIC relief—would better support the sector.
Bailiwick Express · 2 days ago
The Bailiwick Express reader letter argues that Guernsey’s proposed 3% GST will not deliver the projected £55m revenue, instead yielding a net income of only about £12.3m after costs. It highlights one‑off implementation costs of £40.9m, ongoing annual costs of £30.7m, and a £30m increase in the States Superannuation Fund liability, concluding that the claimed £50m funding gap is negligible.
Vertex Inc · 2 days ago
Italy’s mandatory B2B e‑invoicing via the SDI platform has exposed high first‑pass rejection rates driven by master‑data errors, highlighting the need for a tax engine to ensure real‑time compliance. The article quantifies savings of €37 per invoice and a drop in rejection rates to about 5% when a tax engine is used. It underscores that even mature markets like Italy still face significant data quality challenges that a tax engine can address.
SGS · 2 days ago
The Netherlands has made the Digital Dossier system mandatory for all customs declarations effective 16 May 2026. Paper‑based and email submissions are no longer accepted; businesses must ensure their systems are fully aligned and integrated with the Dutch Customs DMS. The change aims to streamline customs processing and reduce manual handling.
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Key Takeaways
Finland will apply a 13.5% VAT rate to specified services, goods, and imports of collectibles and antiques from 20 December 2025.
The new 13.5% VAT rate takes effect on 20 December 2025, the same day the law enters into force.
Yes, the new rate applies to all tax obligations arising on or after 20 December 2025, including intra‑community acquisitions allocated to subsequent calendar months.
Primary source
Read the full article at Bloomberg TaxThis summary was published on VATfaqs.com on 14 January 2026. It relates to VAT developments in Finland. The original source is Bloomberg Tax.
