European Value Added Tax In The Digital Era

The Internet allows for instantaneous delivery of online supplies to consumers all over the world at any time of day or night. While the resulting "digital economy" offers great opportunities to suppliers and consumers, it also raises unprecedented challenges in the collection of value added taxes, particularly because of the intangible nature of online supplies, the relative anonymity of Internet users and the borderless nature of the e-marketplace. This book assesses the practical feasibility of existing EU VAT provisions on "electronically supplied services" and tests their compliance with the widely acknowledged OECD "Ottawa Taxation Framework" and the constitutional principle of non-discrimination as embedded in international and European economic law. It reveals major flaws in EU VAT legislation and the underlying OECD benchmark, given that both assume that online suppliers are able to carry out transaction-based verifications of the status and location of their customers in the same way as traditional suppliers. After discussing possible sources of inspiration for reforming the EU VAT treatment of online supplies (including the OECD "International VAT/GST Guidelines", the 2014 BEPS report on the "Challenges of the Digital Economy" and the recent European Commission Communication on a Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe), innovative and practical proposals are made on possible technology-based mechanisms that could be used in the future for the correct assessment and collection of value added tax on online supplies.

Die Digitalisierung hat enorme Auswirkungen auf die Grundidee der Mehrwertsteuer: den Austausch von Leistungen für Konsumzwecke. Die Dissertation konzentriert sich auf den Austausch von scheinbar "kostenlosen" Online-Dienstleistungen und die Zustimmung der Kunden zur Verwertung ihrer persönlichen Daten. Diese können der Mehrwertsteuer unterliegen, wobei die Bemessungsgrundlage auf Grundlage der Anbieterkosten berechnet werden muss. Die Ergebnisse basieren auf einer Analyse der EU-Mehrwertsteuer als Verbrauchsteuer im Vergleich zu anderen theoretischen Konsummodellen. Auch andere digitale Geschäftsmodelle, wie die Sharing Economy oder Bitcoins, können unter die Idee der EU-Mehrwertsteuer als Verbrauchsteuer subsumiert werden. Dissertationspreis der Nürnberger Steuergespräche e.V. 2020

With the growth of the digitalized economy, VAT on cross-border digital supplies has emerged as an important issue. Yet, views and practices regarding the application of the VAT on these supplies differ significantly across different jurisdictions. A lack of international VAT harmonization can cause double taxation or unintended double non-taxation, resulting in distortions and revenue losses. VAT in the Digital Era considers unilateral and multilateral options for the creation of an internationally coordinated VAT framework. Providing analysis of the status quo in key jurisdictions, the book explores the implications of the digitalized economy for the VAT systems across borders. It outlines possible approaches that can be taken to achieve a more consistent international VAT treatment of cross-border supplies, and the extent to which a multilateral solution would be preferable and achievable at the international level. Bringing together contributions from leading international voices in the VAT law and policy and international taxation fields, VAT in the Digital Era addresses current issues and proposes ways to coordinate VAT rules on cross-border digital supplies. This new book is essential reading for academics, researchers, governments, and other financial organisations involved with the world's most important indirect tax.

Value Added Tax (VAT; also known as Goods and Services Tax, under the acronym GST in a number of OECD countries) has become a major source of revenue for governments around the world. Some 165 countries operated a VAT at the time of the completion of the International VAT/GST Guidelines in 2016, more than twice as many as 25 years before. As VAT continued to spread across the world, international trade in goods and services has also expanded rapidly in an increasingly globalised economy. One consequence of these developments has been the greater interaction between VAT systems, along with growing risks of double taxation and unintended non-taxation in the absence of international VAT co-ordination. The International VAT/GST Guidelines now present a set of internationally agreed standards and recommended approaches to address the issues that arise from the uncoordinated application of national VAT systems in the context of international trade. They focus in particular on trade in services and intangibles, which poses increasingly important challenges for the design and operation of VAT systems worldwide. They notably include the recommended principles and mechanisms to address the challenges for the collection of VAT on cross-border sales of digital products that had been identified in the context of the OECD/G20 Project on Base and Erosion and Profit Shifting (the BEPS Project). These Guidelines were adopted as a Recommendation by the Council of the OECD in September 2016.

This report provides practical guidance to tax authorities on the design and implementation of a variety of solutions for digital platforms, including e-commerce marketplaces, in the effective and efficient collection of VAT/GST on the digital trade of goods, services and intangibles. In particular, it includes new measures to make digital platforms liable for the VAT/GST on sales made by online traders through these platforms, along with other measures including data sharing and enhanced co-operation between tax authorities and digital platforms.

With the growth of the digitalized economy, VAT on cross-border digital supplies has emerged as an important issue. Yet, views and practices regarding the application of the VAT on these supplies differ significantly across different jurisdictions. A lack of international VAT harmonization can cause double taxation or unintended double non-taxation, resulting in distortions and revenue losses. VAT in the Digital Era considers unilateral and multilateral options for the creation of an internationally coordinated VAT framework. Providing analysis of the status quo in key jurisdictions, the book explores the implications of the digitalized economy for the VAT systems across borders. It outlines possible approaches that can be taken to achieve a more consistent international VAT treatment of cross-border supplies, and the extent to which a multilateral solution would be preferable and achievable at the international level. Bringing together contributions from leading international voices in the VAT law and policy and international taxation fields, VAT in the Digital Era addresses current issues and proposes ways to coordinate VAT rules on cross-border digital supplies. This new book is essential reading for academics, researchers, governments, and other financial organisations involved with the world's most important indirect tax.

A fast-growing portion of overall taxable consumption is now realized via online supplies and this 'digital economy' is a virtual reality in which suppliers and consumers conclude numerous transactions unrestrained by time and place. The contrast with traditional sales tax and value added tax (VAT) systems, which are based on a physical supply between parties, could not be more evident. Among jurisdictions worldwide, the European Union (EU) took the lead in designing a legal framework for VAT on electronically supplied goods and services. This book, with contributions by internationally re-owned academics, revenue officials, and tax advisors, provides a broad and up-to-date overview of the EU 2015 rules, and an analysis of such elements as the gradual realization of the destination principle, the fight against e-commerce fraud, and simplification of compliance obligations by means of the Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS). Topics covered include the VAT dimension of: - the digital 'fixed establishment'; - businesses as tax collectors; - auditing under MOSS; - Internet search engines; - virtual currencies (such as bitcoins); - cloud computing; and - technology-based solutions for the assessment and collection of VAT on online supplies. Relevant EU legislation is annexed. Because of its clear and practical analysis to these issues, this book will appeal to tax authorities and counsel who need to ensure proper taxation of online supplies at destination with the least possible administrative costs and the lowest possible compliance burdens. Because of its forward looking approach it is a 'must'; for all public and private sector professionals concerned with VAT.