Directive 2017/2455 - Amendment of Directive 2006/112/EC and Directive 2009/132/EC as regards certain VAT obligations for supplies of services and distance sales of goods - Main contents
29.12.2017 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
L 348/7 |
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EU) 2017/2455
of 5 December 2017
amending Directive 2006/112/EC and Directive 2009/132/EC as regards certain value added tax obligations for supplies of services and distance sales of goods
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 113 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (2),
Acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure,
Whereas:
(1) |
Council Directive 2006/112/EC (3) provides for special schemes for charging value added tax (VAT) for non-established taxable persons providing telecommunications, broadcasting or electronically supplied services to non-taxable persons. |
(2) |
Council Directive 2009/132/EC (4) provides for an exemption from VAT of imports of small consignments of negligible value. |
(3) |
The assessment of those special schemes as introduced on 1 January 2015 has identified a number of areas for improvement. First, the burden for micro-businesses established in a Member State occasionally supplying such services to other Member States of having to comply with VAT obligations in Member States other than their Member State of establishment should be reduced. A Community-wide threshold should therefore be introduced up to which those supplies remain subject to VAT in their Member State of establishment. Second, the requirement of having to comply with the invoicing requirements of all Member States to which supplies are made is very burdensome. Hence, to minimise burdens on business, the rules concerning invoicing should be those applicable in the Member State of identification of the supplier making use of the special schemes. Third, taxable persons not established in the Community but having a VAT registration in a Member State, for example because they carry out occasional transactions subject to VAT in that Member State, can use neither the special scheme for taxable persons not established in the Community, nor the special scheme for taxable persons established in the Community. As a consequence, such taxable persons should be permitted to use the special scheme for taxable persons not established within the Community. |
(4) |
Furthermore, the assessment of the special schemes for the taxation of telecommunications, broadcasting or electronically supplied services introduced on 1 January 2015 has shown that the requirement to submit the VAT return within 20 days following the end of the tax period covered by the return is too short a time limit, in particular for supplies through a telecommunications network, an interface or a portal, where the services supplied through that network, interface or portal are presumed to be supplied by the operator of the network, interface or portal, who has to collect the information to complete the VAT return from each single service supplier. The assessment has also shown that the requirement to make corrections in the VAT return of the tax period concerned is very burdensome for taxable persons, as it may require them to re-submit several VAT returns every quarter. As a consequence, the deadline to submit the VAT return should be extended from 20 days to the end of the month following the end of the tax period and taxable persons should be allowed to correct previous VAT returns in a subsequent return instead of in the returns of the tax periods to which the corrections relate. |
(5) |
To avoid that taxable persons supplying services other than telecommunications, broadcasting or electronically supplied services to non-taxable persons have to be identified for VAT purposes in each and every Member State where those services are subject to VAT, Member States should permit taxable persons supplying such services to make use of the IT system for registration and for declaration and payment of the VAT allowing them to declare and pay VAT on those services in a single Member State. |
(6) |
The realisation of the internal market, globalisation, and technological change have resulted in an explosive growth of electronic commerce and, hence, of distance sales of goods, both supplied from one Member State to another and from third territories or third countries to the Community. The relevant provisions of Directives 2006/112/EC and 2009/132/EC should be adapted to this evolution, taking into account the principle of taxation at destination, the need to protect Member States' tax revenue, to create a level playing field for the businesses concerned and to minimise burdens on them. The special scheme for telecommunications, broadcasting or electronically supplied services supplied by taxable persons established within the Community but not in the Member State of consumption should therefore be extended to intra-Community distance sales of goods and a similar special scheme should be introduced for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries. To clearly determine the scope of the measures applying to intra-Community distance sales of goods and distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries, those concepts should be defined. |
(7) |
A major share of distance sales of goods, both supplied from one Member State to another and from third territories or third countries to the Community are facilitated through the use of an electronic interface such as a marketplace, platform, portal or similar means, often resorting to fulfilment warehousing arrangements. Whilst Member States may provide that a person other than the person liable for the payment of VAT is to be held jointly and severally liable for payment of VAT in such cases, this has proved insufficient to ensure effective and efficient collection of VAT. To achieve that objective and reduce the administrative burden for vendors, tax administrations and consumers, it is, therefore, necessary to involve taxable persons who facilitate distance sales of goods through the use of such an electronic interface in the collection of VAT on those sales by providing that they are the persons who are deemed to make those sales. For distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries to the Community, this should be restricted to sales of goods which are dispatched or transported in consignments of an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150, as of which a full customs declaration upon importation is required for customs purposes. |
(8) |
The keeping of records for a period of at least 10 years in respect of supplies by taxable persons facilitated by an electronic interface such as a marketplace, platform, portal or similar means is necessary to assist Member States to verify that VAT has been accounted for correctly on those supplies. The period of 10 years is consistent with existing record keeping provisions. Where the records consist of personal data, they should comply with Union law on data protection. |
(9) |
To reduce the burden for businesses making use of the special scheme for intra-Community distance sales of goods, the obligation to issue an invoice for such sales should be removed. To provide legal certainty to such businesses, the definition of those supplies of goods should clearly state that it applies also where the goods are transported or dispatched on behalf of the supplier including where the supplier intervenes indirectly in the transport or dispatch of the goods. |
(10) |
The scope of the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries should be restricted to sales of goods of an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150 that are dispatched directly from a third territory or third country to a customer in the Community, as of which a full customs declaration is required for customs purposes upon importation. Goods subject to excise duty should be excluded from its scope as excise duty is part of the taxable amount for VAT upon importation. In order to avoid double taxation, an exemption from value added tax upon importation of the goods declared under that special scheme should be introduced. |
(11) |
In addition, in order to avoid distortion of competition between suppliers inside and outside the Community and to avoid losses of tax revenue, it is necessary to remove the exemption for imports of goods in small consignments of negligible value provided for in Directive 2009/132/EC. |
(12) |
A taxable person making use of the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries should be allowed to appoint an intermediary established in the Community as the person liable for payment of the VAT and to fulfil the obligations laid down in that special scheme in his name and on his behalf. |
(13) |
In order to protect Member States' tax revenue, a taxable person not established in the Community making use of this special scheme should be obliged to designate an intermediary. However, that obligation should not apply if he is established in a country with which the Union has concluded an agreement on mutual assistance. |
(14) |
In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive concerning the establishment of the list of third countries with which the Union has concluded an agreement on mutual assistance similar in scope to Council Directive 2010/24/EU (5) and Council Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 (6), implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (7). Since the establishment of the list of third countries is directly linked with the administrative cooperation in the field of value added tax, it is appropriate that the Commission be assisted by the Standing Committee on Administrative Cooperation set up by Article 58 of Regulation (EU) No 904/2010. |
(15) |
Following the explosive growth of electronic commerce and the resulting increase in the number of small consignments of an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150 imported in the Community, Member States should systematically permit the use of special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT. Those arrangements can be applied where the special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries is not used. Where the Member State of importation does not provide for the systematic application of reduced VAT rates under this special arrangement, the final customer should be able to opt for the standard import procedure in order to avail himself of a potential reduced VAT rate. |
(16) |
The date of application of the provisions of this Directive shall, where relevant, take account of the time needed to put in place the measures necessary to implement this Directive and for the Member States to adapt their IT system for registration and for declaration and payment of the VAT. |
(17) |
Since the objective of this Directive, namely the simplification of VAT obligations, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective. |
(18) |
In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of Member States and the Commission of 28 September 2011 on explanatory documents (8), Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified. |
(19) |
Directives 2006/112/EC and 2009/132/EC should therefore be amended accordingly, |
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
Amendments to Directive 2006/112/EC with effect from 1 January 2019
With effect from 1 January 2019, Directive 2006/112/EC is amended as follows:
(1) |
Article 58 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 58
Where the supplier of a service and the customer communicate via electronic mail, that shall not of itself mean that the service supplied is an electronically supplied service.
(*1) Council Directive (EU) 2017/2455 of 5 December 2017 amending Directive 2006/112/EC and Directive 2009/132/EC as regards certain value added tax obligations for supplies of services and distance sales of goods (OJ L 348, 29.12.2017, p. 7).’;" |
(2) |
Article 219a is replaced by the following: ‘Article 219a
|
(3) |
in Article 358a, point (1) is replaced by the following:
|
(4) |
in Article 361(1), point (e) is replaced by the following:
|
Article 2
Amendments to Directive 2006/112/EC with effect from 1 January 2021
With effect from 1 January 2021, Directive 2006/112/EC is amended as follows:
(1) |
in Article 14, the following paragraph is added: ‘4. For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply:
|
(2) |
the following Article is added: ‘Article 14a
|
(3) |
Article 33 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 33 By way of derogation from Article 32:
|
(4) |
Article 34 is deleted; |
(5) |
Article 35 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 35 Article 33 shall not apply to supplies of second-hand goods, works of art, collectors' items or antiques, as defined in points (1) to (4) of Article 311(1), nor to supplies of second-hand means of transport, as defined in Article 327(3), subject to VAT in accordance with the relevant special arrangements.’; |
(6) |
in Article 58, paragraphs 2 to 6 are deleted; |
(7) |
in Title V, the following Chapter is inserted: ‘CHAPTER 3a Threshold for taxable persons making supplies of goods covered by point (a) of Article 33 and supplies of services covered by Article 58 Article 59c
|
(8) |
the following Article is added: ‘Article 66a By way of derogation from Articles 63, 64 and 65, in respect of supplies of goods for which VAT is payable by the person facilitating the supply pursuant to Article 14a, the chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable at the time when the payment has been accepted.’; |
(9) |
in Article 143(1), the following point is inserted:
|
(10) |
in Article 220(1), point (2) is replaced by the following:
|
(11) |
the following Article is added: ‘Article 242a
Those records must be kept for a period of 10 years from the end of the year during which the transaction was carried out.’; |
(12) |
the heading of Chapter 6 of Title XII is replaced by the following: ‘Special schemes for taxable persons supplying services to non-taxable persons or making distance sales of goods’; |
(13) |
in Article 358, points 1, 2 and 3 are deleted; |
(14) |
the heading of Section 2 is replaced by the following: ‘Special scheme for services supplied by taxable persons not established within the Community’; |
(15) |
in Article 358a, the following point is added:
|
(16) |
Article 359 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 359 Member States shall permit any taxable person not established within the Community supplying services to a non-taxable person who is established in a Member State or has his permanent address or usually resides in a Member State, to use this special scheme. This scheme applies to all those services supplied within the Community.’; |
(17) |
Article 362 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 362 The Member State of identification shall allocate to the taxable person not established within the Community an individual VAT identification number for the application of this special scheme and shall notify him of that number by electronic means. On the basis of the information used for that identification, Member States of consumption may have recourse to their own identification systems.’; |
(18) |
in Article 363, point (a) is replaced by the following:
|
(19) |
Articles 364 and 365 are replaced by the following: ‘Article 364 The taxable person not established within the Community making use of this special scheme shall submit by electronic means to the Member State of identification a VAT return for each calendar quarter, whether or not services covered by this special scheme have been supplied. The VAT return shall be submitted by the end of the month following the end of the tax period covered by the return. Article 365 The VAT return shall show the individual VAT identification number for the application of this special scheme and, for each Member State of consumption in which VAT is due, the total value, exclusive of VAT, of supplies of services covered by this special scheme carried out during the tax period and total amount per rate of the corresponding VAT. The applicable rates of VAT and the total VAT due must also be indicated on the return. Where any amendments to the VAT return are required after its submission, such amendments shall be included in a subsequent return within three years of the date on which the initial return was required to be submitted pursuant to Article 364. That subsequent VAT return shall identify the relevant Member State of consumption, the tax period and the amount of VAT for which any amendments are required.’; |
(20) |
Article 368 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 368 The taxable person not established within the Community making use of this special scheme may not deduct VAT pursuant to Article 168 of this Directive. Notwithstanding point (1) of Article 1 of Directive 86/560/EEC, the taxable person in question shall be refunded in accordance with that Directive. Article 2(2) and (3) and Article 4(2) of Directive 86/560/EEC shall not apply to refunds relating to services covered by this special scheme. If the taxable person making use of this special scheme is required to be registered in a Member State for activities not covered by this special scheme, he shall deduct VAT incurred in that Member State in respect of his taxable activities which are covered by this special scheme in the VAT return to be submitted pursuant to Article 250 of this Directive.’; |
(21) |
the heading of Section 3 of Chapter 6 of Title XII is replaced by the following: ‘Special scheme for intra-Community distance sales of goods and for services supplied by taxable persons established within the Community but not in the Member State of consumption’; |
(22) |
In Article 369a, the following point is added:
|
(23) |
Articles 369b and 369c are replaced by the following: ‘Article 369b Member States shall permit any taxable person carrying out intra-Community distance sales of goods and any taxable person not established in the Member State of consumption supplying services to a non-taxable person, to use this special scheme. This special scheme applies to all those goods or services supplied in the Community. Article 369c A taxable person shall state to the Member State of identification when he commences and ceases his taxable activities covered by this special scheme, or changes those activities in such a way that he no longer meets the conditions necessary for use of this special scheme. He shall communicate that information electronically.’ |
(24) |
Article 369e is amended as follows:
|
(25) |
Articles 369f and 369g are replaced by the following: ‘Article 369f The taxable person making use of this special scheme shall submit by electronic means to the Member State of identification a VAT return for each calendar quarter, whether or not intra-Community distance sales of goods have been carried out or services covered by this special scheme have been supplied. The VAT return shall be submitted by the end of the month following the end of the tax period covered by the return. Article 369g
|
(26) |
in the second subparagraph of Article 369h(1), the second sentence is replaced by the following: ‘If the supplies have been made in other currencies, the taxable person making use of this special scheme shall, for the purposes of completing the VAT return, use the exchange rate applying on the last date of the tax period.’; |
(27) |
in Article 369i, the first paragraph is replaced by the following: ‘The taxable person making use of this special scheme shall pay the VAT, making reference to the relevant VAT return, at the latest at the expiry of the deadline by which the return must be submitted.’; |
(28) |
Article 369j is replaced by the following: ‘Article 369j The taxable person making use of this special scheme may not, in respect of his taxable activities covered by this special scheme, deduct VAT incurred in the Member State of consumption pursuant to Article 168 of this Directive. Notwithstanding Article 2(1), Article 3 and point (e) of Article 8(1) of Directive 2008/9/EC, the taxable person in question shall be refunded in accordance with that Directive. If the taxable person making use of this special scheme is required to be registered in a Member State for activities not covered by this special scheme, he shall deduct VAT incurred in that Member State in respect of his taxable activities which are covered by this special scheme in the VAT return to be submitted pursuant to Article 250 of this Directive.’; |
(29) |
in Article 369k, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: ‘1. The taxable person making use of this special scheme shall keep records of the transactions covered by this special scheme. Those records must be sufficiently detailed to enable the tax authorities of the Member State of consumption to verify that the VAT return is correct.’; |
(30) |
in Chapter 6 of Title XII, the following Section is added: ‘SECTION 4 Special scheme for distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries Article 369l For the purposes of this Section, distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries shall only cover goods, except products subject to excise duty, in consignments of an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150. For the purposes of this Section, and without prejudice to other Community provisions, the following definitions shall apply:
Article 369m
Those taxable persons shall apply this special scheme to all their distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries.
Article 369n For distances sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries on which VAT is declared under this special scheme, the chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable at the time of supply. The goods shall be regarded as having been supplied at the time when the payment has been accepted. Article 369o The taxable person making use of this special scheme or an intermediary acting on his behalf, shall state to the Member State of identification when he commences or ceases his activity under this special scheme, or changes that activity in such a way that he no longer meets the conditions necessary for use of this special scheme. That information shall be communicated electronically. Article 369p
Article 369q
Article 369r
Article 369s The taxable person making use of this special scheme or his intermediary shall submit by electronic means to the Member State of identification a VAT return for each month, whether or not distance sales of goods imported from third territories or third countries have been carried out. The VAT return shall be submitted by the end of the month following the end of the tax period covered by the return. Where a VAT return is to be submitted in accordance with the first paragraph, Member States shall not impose, for VAT purposes, any additional obligation or other formality upon importation. Article 369t
Article 369u
Member States whose currency is not the euro may require the VAT return to be made out in their national currency. If the supplies have been made in other currencies, the taxable person making use of this special scheme or his intermediary shall, for the purposes of completing the VAT return, use the exchange rate applying on the last date of the tax period.
Article 369v The taxable person making use of this special scheme or his intermediary shall pay the VAT, making reference to the relevant VAT return at the latest at the expiry of the deadline by which the return must be submitted. Payment shall be made to a bank account denominated in euro, designated by the Member State of identification. Member States which have not adopted the euro may require the payment to be made to a bank account denominated in their own currency. Article 369w The taxable person making use of this special scheme may not, in respect of his taxable activities covered by this special scheme, deduct VAT incurred in the Member States of consumption pursuant to Article 168 of this Directive. Notwithstanding point (1) of Article 1 of Directive 86/560/EEC and point (1) of Article 2 and Article 3 of Directive 2008/9/EC, the taxable person in question shall be refunded in accordance with those Directives. Article 2(2) and (3) and Article 4(2) of Directive 86/560/EEC shall not apply to refunds relating to goods covered by this special scheme. If the taxable person making use of this special scheme is required to be registered in a Member State for activities not covered by this special scheme, he shall deduct VAT incurred in that Member State in respect of his taxable activities which are covered by this special scheme in the VAT return to be submitted pursuant to Article 250 of this Directive. Article 369x
Those records must be kept for a period of 10 years from the end of the year during which the transaction was carried out. (*2) Council Directive 2010/24/EU of 16 March 2010 concerning mutual assistance for the recovery of claims relating to taxes, duties and other measures (OJ L 84, 31.3.2010, p. 1).’;" |
(31) |
In Title XII, the following Chapters are added: ‘CHAPTER 7 Special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT Article 369y Where, for the importation of goods, except products subject to excise duties, in consignments of an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150, the special scheme in Section 4 of Chapter 6 is not used, the Member State of importation shall permit the person presenting the goods to customs on behalf of the person for whom the goods are destined within the territory of the Community to make use of special arrangements for declaration and payment of import VAT in respect of goods for which the dispatch or transport ends in that Member State. Article 369z
Article 369za By way of derogation from Article 94(2), Member States may provide that the standard rate of VAT applicable in the Member State of importation is applicable when using this special arrangement. Article 369zb
CHAPTER 8 Exchange values Article 369zc
|
Article 3
Amendment to Directive 2009/132/EC
With effect from 1 January 2021, Title IV of Directive 2009/132/EC is deleted.
Article 4
Transposition
-
1.Member States shall adopt and publish, by 31 December 2018, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with Article 1 of this Directive. They shall immediately communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.
Member States shall adopt and publish, by 31 December 2020, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with Articles 2 and 3 of this Directive. They shall immediately communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.
They shall apply the measures necessary to comply with Article 1 of this Directive from 1 January 2019.
They shall apply the measures necessary to comply with Articles 2 and 3 of this Directive from 1 January 2021.
When Member States adopt those measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.
-
2.Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.
Article 5
Entry into force
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 6
Addressees
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 5 December 2017.
For the Council
The President
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T.TÕNISTE
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Opinion of 30 November 2017 (not yet published in the Official Journal).
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Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (OJ L 347, 11.12.2006, p. 1).
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Council Directive 2009/132/EC of 19 October 2009 determining the scope of Article 143(b) and (c) of Directive 2006/112/EC as regards exemption from value added tax on the final importation of certain goods (OJ L 292, 10.11.2009, p. 5).
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Council Directive 2010/24/EU of 16 March 2010 concerning mutual assistance for the recovery of claims relating to taxes, duties and other measures (OJ L 84, 31.3.2010, p. 1).
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Council Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 of 7 October 2010 on administrative cooperation and combating fraud in the field of value added tax (OJ L 268, 12.10.2010, p. 1).
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Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by the Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).
This summary has been adopted from EUR-Lex.