VAT "one-stop shop" conference, Berlin, 31 May - Main contents

The European Commission will, together with the German Federal Chamber of Tax Consultants (the "Bundessteuerberaterkammer"), host a Conference on the simplification of VAT compliance obligations on 31 May in Berlin, Germany. The conference will bring together VAT experts from the administrations of Member States and from the business sector. The conference will focus on the Commission's VAT simplification proposal of October 2004 that included a "one-stop-shop" system whereby a trader could fulfil all his VAT obligations for his EU-wide activities in the Member State in which he is established (see IP/04/1331 and MEMO/04/249). There will be a press conference at 10am and journalists are invited to participate. For more information see the programme of the conference at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/index_en.htm

"This conference will give European business the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of Member States' national tax administrations on the European Commission's proposal to allow traders to fulfil all their VAT obligations in a single Member State" said European Taxation and Customs Commissioner László Kovács. "It is very important to involve all stakeholders in the design of new initiatives and I am sure that the Member States will take careful note of the ideas and reactions expressed at this conference."

The Conference "Simplifying Value Added Tax obligations - towards a one stop Scheme" will take place in the Hotel Palace Berlin, Budapester Straße 45, 10787 Berlin, Germany, on 31 May.

Following opening speeches by Commissioner Kovács and Dr. Klaus Heilgeist, President of the Bundessteuerberaterkammer, there will be a press conference at 10am. Journalists who wish to participate are invited to contact Mr. Oliver Falk, Referent, Bundessteuerberaterkammer, fax: +49-30-24008799, email: presse@bstbk.de, by 30 May at 15h00.

The Commission proposal of October 2004 to simplify current Value Added Tax (VAT) compliance obligations contains several measures designed to facilitate VAT compliance requirements for traders that are not established in Member States into which they supply goods or services. It would in particular give a trader the option of using the VAT number by which he is identified in his own Member State for all supplies made in other Member States and of making VAT declarations to one single electronic portal. This information would then be submitted automatically to the different Member States where he supplies goods or services. The trader would pay the VAT directly to the Member State where the VAT is due. Non-EU traders would also have the option of using this scheme.

The simplification, modernisation and more uniform application of VAT rules is essential in order to facilitate business operating in the Internal Market and thus to fulfil the economic growth objectives that the EU set for itself in Lisbon in 2000. The Commission set out an action programme geared towards meeting these goals in October 2003 - see IP/03/1447.