There is a recurring trend across Europe this winter as energy, electricity and heating VAT rates come more sharply into focus- a response to rising inflation on the continent, as well as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Poland is no exception to this and the Sejm- the Polish Parliament- has responded to rising inflation with proposals to amend the VAT Act. These measures are part of a programme referred to as ‘anti-inflation shield 2.0’, which, as the name suggests, is a direct response to rising inflation in Poland.
• Basic food and beverages currently subject to the 5% VAT rate will be subject to 0% VAT;
• Goods used to drive internal combustion engines (diesel oil, biocomponents constituting self-contained fuels, motor gasoline, natural gas (wet), liquefied LPG) – currently subject to the 23% VAT rate – will be taxed at the 8% VAT rate;
• Fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, horticultural soil and other means of supporting agricultural production – currently subject to the 8% VAT rate – will be taxed at 0% VAT;
• Natural gas (CN 2711 11 00 or 2711 21 00) – will be taxed at 0% VAT;
• Electricity (CN 2716 00 00) – will be subject to VAT 5%;
• Heat energy – will be subject to VAT 5%.
Tungsten Network’s portal accommodates these rates.
Compliance Category: Información del tipo de IVA/IBS
In the Italian 2022 budget, which has now been approved, Italy has delayed a tax to be applied to both plastic and sugar until 1st January 2023.
In the budget, Italy has also stated that gas for domestic and industrial production is cut to 5% between 1 January and 31 March 2022. This continues the 5% reduced rate that was applied from October 2021 to December 2021.
With inflation a widespread concern across Europe, we can expect other European states to adopt similar measures.
The last two years have shown the dramatic effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tax world. VAT-related measures as a direct result of the pandemic still continue.
Italy introduced Decree Law No 215, which states that any goods and services supplied to the government under EU law, will be exempt from VAT, if these goods and services are used to combat Covid-19.
In an interview published in Qatar’s Al Sharq newspaper on 7 November 2021, the President of Qatar’s General Tax Authority, Mr. Ahmad Eissa Al Mohannadi, confirmed that the country is still determined to introduce VAT as per the GCC Unified VAT Agreement that was signed by all GCC member states in June 2016.
In accordance with the GCC Framework, Qatar will introduce VAT with two rates: standard rate (5%) and zero rate (0%), depending on the type of goods or services. It is expected that the VAT law and its Executive Regulations will be released in the course of 2022.
Poland has recently announced it will be able to select its own VAT rates. There is a wait for this to be adopted but this is believed to be a formality only. This may result in several VAT rate changes in Poland. Tungsten has a big customer base in Poland and will ensure that any appropriate action is taken to implement any new tax rates.
We are very closely monitoring developments in Poland – on the back of some recent political unrest in the country, it is expected that there may be some significant changes upcoming in 2022 – we will keep you updated.
On 7 December 2021, the EU Council received an agreement to update EU rules on VAT, the purpose of which was to ensure that member states are treated equally, with the bonus of allowing more flexibility to apply reduced and zero rates. There is also a ‘green’ initiative behind the rules, to phase out preferential treatments for environmentally harmful goods.
The EU Council also updated the list of goods and services for which reduced VAT rates are allowed (Annex 111 of the VAT Directive). The Council decided to limit the number of items to which reduced rates could be applied, recognising that these could accumulate.
With the signing into law of the Harmonisation of Tax Regulations (HPP) on 29 October 2021, it is officially confirmed that the standard VAT rate in Indonesia will increase from 10% to:
-
- 11% ‒ from 1 April 2022.
- 12% ‒ from 1 January 2025.
The law aims to optimise revenue collection and tax compliance after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a big hit to state coffers.
The UK government approved a VAT increase for the hospitality sector to 12.5%, effective 1 October 2021. This will apply until 31 March 2022.
The VAT rate for hospitality was temporarily reduced to 5%, and this reduced rate was extended until 30 September 2021. The temporary 12.5% was introduced to manage the proposed eventual transition back to the original 20% VAT rate.
Tungsten Network has included the new 12.5% rate in our system.
The Council of Ministers in Bahrain has approved an increase in the standard VAT rate from 5% to 10% with effect from 1st January 2022, becoming the highest rate in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia.
The change is made in response to the impact COVID-19 had on Bahrain’s economy and it’s aiming to reboot Bahrain’s Fiscal Balance Programme (FBP).
The JPK VAT file is a collection of data based on the information in a taxpayer’s IT systems needed for SAF-T reporting. This provides information around business operations for a given period of time. A new version of the JPK-VAT logical structure will apply from 1st January 2022.
The new JPK-VAT is a periodic filing document which combines the current JPK-VAT file, and monthly and quarterly VAT returns within one document. The Polish Ministry of Finance has been developing the draft version following tax consultations with entrepreneurs.
This updated structure can be found via the following link:
https://www.gov.pl/web/kas/struktury-jpk
The updated structure will include all changes that enter into force during the period 1st July 2021-1st January 2022.
From 1 July 2021, Canada’s GST / HST rules have changed around how tax is applied to online sales from non-resident digital businesses. These changes were implemented as GST / HST was often not being collected on online purchases from non-resident vendors.
Therefore, from 1st July 2021, any foreign suppliers of digital services to consumers based in Canada will be required to register for GST / HST and to collect and remit any tax to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The standard VAT rate in Portugal (the Azores) has been reduced from 18% to 16%.
Tax Circular 30237 outlines the procedures to be followed further to this tax rate change. These include:
- Chargeability;
- Adjustments;
- The cash VAT regime;
- Intra-community acquisition of goods.
There have been no changes to the mainland Portuguese tax rates.
Further to VAT rate increase from 5% to 15% announcement effective the 1st of July 2020, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (“ZATCA”) in Saudi Arabia has announced transitional rules governing supplies that are made during the transitional period for the VAT rate increase i.e. from 11 May 2020 to 30 June 2021. The transitional rules would not be applicable starting from the 1st of July 2021 onward and the VAT rate to be applied going forward should be 15% applicable to all supplies made (except where zero-rated or exempt by law).
Oman has introduced VAT from 16th April 2021. VAT has been set at 5% on goods and services. Certain services will be taxed at zero-rated VAT, and others exempted.
The requirement for businesses to register for VAT will depend on business turnover, which has been outlined by the Sultanate of Oman.
The VAT rate reduction from 8% to 1% for overnight accommodation services has been extended until 30 June 2021.
The Norwegian government has proposed to extend the temporary 6% reduced VAT rate for transportation, lodging, etc, until September 30, 2021 in the revised national budget. Originally, the reduced rate was to last until the end of June 2021. However, this decision is yet to be formally approved.