Posted by Ruth Mason on taxprof/typepad.com:
"Rita de la Feria (Centre for Business Taxation, Oxford) presented The Pitfalls of Accepted VAT Wisdom: Lessons from the EU Experience at Connecticut as part of its Tax Lecture Series. Rather than addressing whether the United States should adopt a value-added tax, de la Feria focused on what the United States could learn from the European experience.
VAT is the world’s fastest growing tax, with 130 countries applying it in some form. De la Feria noted the irony that although the United States is the only major industrialized country without a VAT, Michigan was the first jurisdiction to apply a VAT. While de la Feria noted that the allures of VAT include simplicity, ease of assessment and collection, and effectiveness in raising revenue, she cautioned that certain aspects of the European implementation of VAT have reduced these benefits. Among other recommendations, de la Feria warned that VAT exemptions and rate differentials designed to achieve progressivity or encourage consumption of merit goods have lead to extensive tax planning and difficult line-drawing problems in Europe.
Two cases decided in the British courts illustrate her point. In Jaffa Cakes, the court had to decide whether the popular British confection was a cookie or a cake. If a cake, it would fall under the VAT exemption for food, whereas cookies were subject to the standard rate of 17.5%. With a healthy dose of humor, de la Feria described the case as well as the court’s standard of review. The court declared that the distinction between cookies and cakes could be drawn by reference to what happens when they go stale: cakes go hard; cookies go soft. In another case, relying in part on the fact that Pringles only contain 40% potato, a court found that Pringles should not be subject to the higher rate of VAT applicable to (unhealthy) “potato crisps.” De la
Feria noted the perverse effect of the Pringles ruling: the more filler in the chip, the more likely the exemption!
This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") does not to provide specific legal advice, it is for educational purposes only. This Blog is made available by the international adviser, lawyer or law firm for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.
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Showing posts with label VAT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VAT. Show all posts
25 Nov 2008
9 Sept 2008
Corporate tax cut in UK has little impact, but low VAT raises reputation
Rate cut has little impact on global ranking
Article published by Vanessa Houlder in Financial Times (www.ft.com) on September 8 2008.
This year’s cut in the corporate tax rate has failed to push the UK decisively up the international rankings, according to a new survey that shows Britain’s efforts to improve its tax competitiveness have been blunted by similar efforts elsewhere.
The UK now has the 20th lowest corporate tax rate of the 27 European Union member states, a slight improvement for businesses on last year’s 21st position, according to the survey by KPMG, professional services firm.
The UK’s struggle to close the gap with smaller European competitors is likely to fuel criticism from businesses and opposition politicians.
KPMG said: “This continued downward pressure on worldwide and European corporate tax rates will add to the pressure on the UK authorities to address the UK’s perceived lack of competitiveness on tax.”
The impact of April’s 2 percentage point cut to 28 per cent was tempered by cuts elsewhere, which pushed average global and European corporate tax rates down by 1 percentage point. The UK’s corporate tax rate remains higher than the global average of 25.9 per cent and the EU average rate of 23.2 per cent.
But the UK is facing tough competition for holding companies from smaller low-tax European rivals, particularly Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as demonstrated by recent moves out of the UK announced by Shire, UBM, Henderson, Charter and Regus.
These moves recently sparked an angry exchange between Alistair Darling and George Osborne, shadow chancellor, who called for a cut in the rate to 25 per cent which “would go some way towards undoing the damage the government has done by failing to keep pace with European tax rates”.
Mr Darling rejected Mr Osborne’s criticisms of the competitiveness of the business tax system as “wrong”.
Chris Morgan, head of international corporate tax at KPMG, said the relocation of headquarters was not driven by concern about the tax rate although bringing down tax rates was an important long-term objective. The argument was instead focused on the question of whether foreign profits should be taxed in the UK, he said.
The intensity of international tax competition was underlined by the finding that – for the first time since 1994 – no country in the 106-strong sample had raised rates. Competition has been particularly intense in the EU over the past 10 years, moving average corporate tax rates from the highest to the lowest of any group of countries in the OECD.
The relationship between tax rates and overall competitiveness is complex, with many other factors including political stability, infrastructure, access to new markets and a skilled labour force playing an important role. Sue Bonney, KPMG’s head of tax said: “Undoubtedly, the corporate tax rate is an important factor for businesses but it is far from the only factor.”
Big industrialised countries such as the UK typically have much higher rates than small countries. Countries such as Malta, Luxembourg and Switzerland have far lower effective rates than their headline rates as a result of exemptions and special rulings.
In May, Mr Darling acknowledged the challenge facing the tax regime, saying “Business does have a choice. Business is increasingly mobile. Tax rates have to be globally competitive.”
The UK’s corporate rate cut ensured that it continued to have a lower rate than Germany at 29.5 per cent, preserving the Treasury’s goal of having the lowest rate in the G7.
Low VAT raises reputation
Britain has the fourth lowest rate of value added tax in the EU, according to KPMG which said this relatively low rate underpinned the business-friendly reputation of the indirect tax system .
Britain’s 17.5 per cent VAT rate is well below the average in the EU of 19.49 per cent, in contrast to its position on corporate taxes. KPMG said this was in line with the “generally accepted idea” that indirect taxes compensate for reduced corporate tax yields.
This notion was partly supported by the contrast between the EU’s low corporate tax rates and its high VAT rates. Against a global average indirect tax rate of 15.7 per cent, the EU’s average rate was 19.49 per cent.
The UK’s relatively low rate, together with its stability over recent years, helped secure the UK top position in a KPMG survey of the best countries in the world to deal with from an indirect tax perspective.
The survey found that indirect tax rates have remained relatively stable, in contrast to the declines in corporate tax rates. KPMG said if indirect tax yields were compensating for declining corporate tax yields, this was being achieved by widening the indirect tax base and applying rules more strictly.
This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") does not to provide specific legal advice, it is for educational purposes only. This Blog is made available by the international adviser, lawyer or law firm for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.
The Blog does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your state. Any comment posted on the Blog can be read by any Blog visitor; do not post confidential or sensitive information. Any links from another site to the Blog are beyond the control of us.
By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog.
The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional adviser or lawyer in your country.
Our firm and do not convey their approval, support or any relationship to any site or organization. The use of this Blog does not implicitly or explicitly convey any warranties or representations as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.
This Blog has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Blog.
This Blog takes your privacy very seriously. Our customers told us they want to see clear, easy-to-read information about our privacy commitments and policies. We have made our privacy policies easier to find and easier to read. And we're listening. We welcome your questions and feedback on our privacy policies, and invite you to contact us with your thoughts.
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Our privacy commitments are fundamental to the way we do business every day. These apply to everyone who has a relationship with this Blog and visitors.
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• We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period.
• We will fully disclose our privacy policies in plain language, and make our policies easily accessible to you.
• We will notify you of any revisions to our privacy policy, in advance. No surprises.
• You have choices about how this Blog uses your information for marketing purposes. Customers are in control.
This Privacy Policy identifies and describes the way This Blog uses and protects the information we collect about visitors. All use of this Blog is subject to this Privacy Policy.
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• When your wireless device is on, it sends periodic signals to the nearest cell site. We use that information to provide your wireless services;
• You can use your wireless device to obtain a wide array of services based on the approximate location of the device, referred to as Location Based Services, or LBS. The information you receive in connection with your use of LBS may include advertisements related to your request and your location;
Online Activity Tracking and Advertising
• We collect information about your activity on this Blog for a number of purposes using technologies such as cookies, Web beacons, widgets and server log files.
• We and our advertising partners use that information, as well as other information they have or we may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about ads you see on other sites.
The Information We Collect, How We Collect It, And How We Use It
We collect different types of personal and other information based on your use of our products and services and our business relationship with you. Some examples include:
• Contact Information that allows us to communicate with you -- including your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
• Equipment, Performance, Site Usage, Viewing and other Technical Information about your use of our network, services, products or Web sites.
We collect information in 2 primary ways:
• You give it to us when you register to provide comments;
• We collect it automatically when you visit our Blog.
We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including to:
• Provide you with the best visitor experience possible;
• Deliver customized content that may be of interest to you;
• Address network integrity and security issues;
• Investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies; and
• For local directory and directory assistance purposes.
Aggregate or Anonymous Information:
We may share aggregate or anonymous information in various formats with trusted entities’ only for purposes such as:
• Our knowledge, and offer of information that may be of interest to you;
• Universities, laboratories and other entities that conduct scientific research; and
• Media research companies for general information only.
More information:
http://www.jpa-iac.com/en/
http://www.braxton-co.com/en/
http://www.tax-international.com
http://www.braxton-group.com
19 Mar 2008
The EC proposes measures to tackle VAT fraud effectively
The European Commission on 17th March this year adopted proposals for the amendment of the VAT Directive and the VAT Administrative Cooperation Regulation to speed up the collection and exchange of information on intra-Community transactions from 2010 onwards. This will enable the Member States to detect carousel fraud very quickly. The proposals follow on from the Communication on the improvement of administrative cooperation between Member States to improve the fight against VAT fraud. They are part of a range of legislative and administrative measures which have been, or are about to be, agreed in order to combat VAT fraud more effectively.
Intra-Community carousel VAT fraud occurs where a person liable for VAT who has acquired goods or services within the Community on which no VAT has been paid supplies these goods or services within the Community with VAT imposed but then ‘disappears’ without paying the VAT into the Exchequer.
Faster information exchanges
When an intra-Community transaction takes place, it currently takes between three and six months for information about that transaction to be sent to the Member State in which the VAT is due. Under the proposals for a Directive and a Regulation, this period will be reduced to between one and two months, thus enabling any fraud to be detected much faster.
With this in mind, the Commission proposes:
- harmonising and reducing to one month the period which persons liable to VAT have for declaring intra-Community transactions involving the supply of goods or services within the Community;
- reducing from three months to one month the period for transmission of this information between Member States;
- collecting information monthly on intra-Community purchases of goods or services where the buyer or customer is liable for VAT to make it easier to cross-check the data with that provided by suppliers. For this purpose, buyers or customers making transactions to a value of more than EUR 200 000 per calendar year will be obliged to submit their VAT declarations monthly. The threshold has been set at this level to avoid imposing extra obligations on undertakings which make intra-Community acquisitions only occasionally or only for small amounts, while having regard to the significant amounts which fraud represents;
- simplifying the procedures for submitting declarations on intra-Community transactions in Member States in which these procedures are abnormally complex to reduce the burden which the procedures may impose on undertakings.
According to the various consultations carried out within the private sector, these measures will not impose an additional administrative burden on economic operators.
Other conventional measures under discussion
In addition to the proposals for a Directive and a Regulation, the Commission recently submitted several other conventional measures to the Member States’ tax authorities for consideration and for a decision. Some of these measures do not require any changes to EU legislation and can therefore be implemented quickly by the national authorities.
With effect from 2009, the department which checks the data on registration for VAT purposes on the Europa website will enable confirmation to be obtained of the name and address of trading partners established in other Member States and will issue personal consultation certificates.
This measure is intended to increase the legal certainty of operators acting in good faith and to enable the tax authorities to carry out more effective controls.
Considerable progress has also been made in discussions with the national authorities on the following points:
- automated access by all other Member States to certain non-sensitive data held by Member States on their own taxable persons (business sector, certain data concerning turnover, etc.),
- harmonisation of the procedures for the registration and de-registration of persons liable for VAT to ensure the swift detection and de-registration of fake taxable persons. The Expert Group is considering the introduction of minimum standards.
This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") does not to provide specific legal advice, it is for educational purposes only. This Blog is made available by the international adviser, lawyer or law firm for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.
The Blog does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your state. Any comment posted on the Blog can be read by any Blog visitor; do not post confidential or sensitive information. Any links from another site to the Blog are beyond the control of us.
By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog.
The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional adviser or lawyer in your country.
Our firm and do not convey their approval, support or any relationship to any site or organization. The use of this Blog does not implicitly or explicitly convey any warranties or representations as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.
This Blog has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Blog.
This Blog takes your privacy very seriously. Our customers told us they want to see clear, easy-to-read information about our privacy commitments and policies. We have made our privacy policies easier to find and easier to read. And we're listening. We welcome your questions and feedback on our privacy policies, and invite you to contact us with your thoughts.
Customer Privacy Controls and Choices:
• You can review and correct your Personal Information collected by us.
• You can limit certain types of solicitation communications from AT&T, including marketing contacts made via telephone, e-mail and text messaging.
• We will provide you with notice of changes to this policy.
Our privacy commitments are fundamental to the way we do business every day. These apply to everyone who has a relationship with this Blog and visitors.
• We will protect your privacy and keep your personal information safe. We use powerful encryption and other security safeguards to protect customer data, when available.
• We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period.
• We will fully disclose our privacy policies in plain language, and make our policies easily accessible to you.
• We will notify you of any revisions to our privacy policy, in advance. No surprises.
• You have choices about how this Blog uses your information for marketing purposes. Customers are in control.
This Privacy Policy identifies and describes the way This Blog uses and protects the information we collect about visitors. All use of this Blog is subject to this Privacy Policy.
Use of Location Information
• When your wireless device is on, it sends periodic signals to the nearest cell site. We use that information to provide your wireless services;
• You can use your wireless device to obtain a wide array of services based on the approximate location of the device, referred to as Location Based Services, or LBS. The information you receive in connection with your use of LBS may include advertisements related to your request and your location;
Online Activity Tracking and Advertising
• We collect information about your activity on this Blog for a number of purposes using technologies such as cookies, Web beacons, widgets and server log files.
• We and our advertising partners use that information, as well as other information they have or we may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about ads you see on other sites.
The Information We Collect, How We Collect It, And How We Use It
We collect different types of personal and other information based on your use of our products and services and our business relationship with you. Some examples include:
• Contact Information that allows us to communicate with you -- including your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
• Equipment, Performance, Site Usage, Viewing and other Technical Information about your use of our network, services, products or Web sites.
We collect information in 2 primary ways:
• You give it to us when you register to provide comments;
• We collect it automatically when you visit our Blog.
We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including to:
• Provide you with the best visitor experience possible;
• Deliver customized content that may be of interest to you;
• Address network integrity and security issues;
• Investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies; and
• For local directory and directory assistance purposes.
Aggregate or Anonymous Information:
We may share aggregate or anonymous information in various formats with trusted entities’ only for purposes such as:
• Our knowledge, and offer of information that may be of interest to you;
• Universities, laboratories and other entities that conduct scientific research; and
• Media research companies for general information only.
More information:
http://www.jpa-iac.com/en/
http://www.braxton-co.com/en/
http://www.tax-international.com
http://www.braxton-group.com
Intra-Community carousel VAT fraud occurs where a person liable for VAT who has acquired goods or services within the Community on which no VAT has been paid supplies these goods or services within the Community with VAT imposed but then ‘disappears’ without paying the VAT into the Exchequer.
Faster information exchanges
When an intra-Community transaction takes place, it currently takes between three and six months for information about that transaction to be sent to the Member State in which the VAT is due. Under the proposals for a Directive and a Regulation, this period will be reduced to between one and two months, thus enabling any fraud to be detected much faster.
With this in mind, the Commission proposes:
- harmonising and reducing to one month the period which persons liable to VAT have for declaring intra-Community transactions involving the supply of goods or services within the Community;
- reducing from three months to one month the period for transmission of this information between Member States;
- collecting information monthly on intra-Community purchases of goods or services where the buyer or customer is liable for VAT to make it easier to cross-check the data with that provided by suppliers. For this purpose, buyers or customers making transactions to a value of more than EUR 200 000 per calendar year will be obliged to submit their VAT declarations monthly. The threshold has been set at this level to avoid imposing extra obligations on undertakings which make intra-Community acquisitions only occasionally or only for small amounts, while having regard to the significant amounts which fraud represents;
- simplifying the procedures for submitting declarations on intra-Community transactions in Member States in which these procedures are abnormally complex to reduce the burden which the procedures may impose on undertakings.
According to the various consultations carried out within the private sector, these measures will not impose an additional administrative burden on economic operators.
Other conventional measures under discussion
In addition to the proposals for a Directive and a Regulation, the Commission recently submitted several other conventional measures to the Member States’ tax authorities for consideration and for a decision. Some of these measures do not require any changes to EU legislation and can therefore be implemented quickly by the national authorities.
With effect from 2009, the department which checks the data on registration for VAT purposes on the Europa website will enable confirmation to be obtained of the name and address of trading partners established in other Member States and will issue personal consultation certificates.
This measure is intended to increase the legal certainty of operators acting in good faith and to enable the tax authorities to carry out more effective controls.
Considerable progress has also been made in discussions with the national authorities on the following points:
- automated access by all other Member States to certain non-sensitive data held by Member States on their own taxable persons (business sector, certain data concerning turnover, etc.),
- harmonisation of the procedures for the registration and de-registration of persons liable for VAT to ensure the swift detection and de-registration of fake taxable persons. The Expert Group is considering the introduction of minimum standards.
This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") does not to provide specific legal advice, it is for educational purposes only. This Blog is made available by the international adviser, lawyer or law firm for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.
The Blog does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your state. Any comment posted on the Blog can be read by any Blog visitor; do not post confidential or sensitive information. Any links from another site to the Blog are beyond the control of us.
By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog.
The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional adviser or lawyer in your country.
Our firm and do not convey their approval, support or any relationship to any site or organization. The use of this Blog does not implicitly or explicitly convey any warranties or representations as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.
This Blog has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Blog.
This Blog takes your privacy very seriously. Our customers told us they want to see clear, easy-to-read information about our privacy commitments and policies. We have made our privacy policies easier to find and easier to read. And we're listening. We welcome your questions and feedback on our privacy policies, and invite you to contact us with your thoughts.
Customer Privacy Controls and Choices:
• You can review and correct your Personal Information collected by us.
• You can limit certain types of solicitation communications from AT&T, including marketing contacts made via telephone, e-mail and text messaging.
• We will provide you with notice of changes to this policy.
Our privacy commitments are fundamental to the way we do business every day. These apply to everyone who has a relationship with this Blog and visitors.
• We will protect your privacy and keep your personal information safe. We use powerful encryption and other security safeguards to protect customer data, when available.
• We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period.
• We will fully disclose our privacy policies in plain language, and make our policies easily accessible to you.
• We will notify you of any revisions to our privacy policy, in advance. No surprises.
• You have choices about how this Blog uses your information for marketing purposes. Customers are in control.
This Privacy Policy identifies and describes the way This Blog uses and protects the information we collect about visitors. All use of this Blog is subject to this Privacy Policy.
Use of Location Information
• When your wireless device is on, it sends periodic signals to the nearest cell site. We use that information to provide your wireless services;
• You can use your wireless device to obtain a wide array of services based on the approximate location of the device, referred to as Location Based Services, or LBS. The information you receive in connection with your use of LBS may include advertisements related to your request and your location;
Online Activity Tracking and Advertising
• We collect information about your activity on this Blog for a number of purposes using technologies such as cookies, Web beacons, widgets and server log files.
• We and our advertising partners use that information, as well as other information they have or we may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about ads you see on other sites.
The Information We Collect, How We Collect It, And How We Use It
We collect different types of personal and other information based on your use of our products and services and our business relationship with you. Some examples include:
• Contact Information that allows us to communicate with you -- including your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
• Equipment, Performance, Site Usage, Viewing and other Technical Information about your use of our network, services, products or Web sites.
We collect information in 2 primary ways:
• You give it to us when you register to provide comments;
• We collect it automatically when you visit our Blog.
We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including to:
• Provide you with the best visitor experience possible;
• Deliver customized content that may be of interest to you;
• Address network integrity and security issues;
• Investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies; and
• For local directory and directory assistance purposes.
Aggregate or Anonymous Information:
We may share aggregate or anonymous information in various formats with trusted entities’ only for purposes such as:
• Our knowledge, and offer of information that may be of interest to you;
• Universities, laboratories and other entities that conduct scientific research; and
• Media research companies for general information only.
More information:
http://www.jpa-iac.com/en/
http://www.braxton-co.com/en/
http://www.tax-international.com
http://www.braxton-group.com
15 Apr 2007
Lecture on VAT in the European Union
Here are the lecture by Prof. Dr. Michael Tumpel, made April 11, 2007.
Listen to Prof. Tumpel's Lecture:
Introduction:
Download the MP3
Lecture:
Download the MP3
Q & A:
Download the MP3
This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") does not to provide specific legal advice, it is for educational purposes only. This Blog is made available by the international adviser, lawyer or law firm for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice.
The Blog does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney in your state. Any comment posted on the Blog can be read by any Blog visitor; do not post confidential or sensitive information. Any links from another site to the Blog are beyond the control of us.
By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog.
The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional adviser or lawyer in your country.
Our firm and do not convey their approval, support or any relationship to any site or organization. The use of this Blog does not implicitly or explicitly convey any warranties or representations as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.
This Blog has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this Blog.
This Blog takes your privacy very seriously. Our customers told us they want to see clear, easy-to-read information about our privacy commitments and policies. We have made our privacy policies easier to find and easier to read. And we're listening. We welcome your questions and feedback on our privacy policies, and invite you to contact us with your thoughts.
Customer Privacy Controls and Choices:• You can review and correct your Personal Information collected by us. • You can limit certain types of solicitation communications from AT&T, including marketing contacts made via telephone, e-mail and text messaging. • We will provide you with notice of changes to this policy.
Our privacy commitments are fundamental to the way we do business every day. These apply to everyone who has a relationship with this Blog and visitors. • We will protect your privacy and keep your personal information safe. We use powerful encryption and other security safeguards to protect customer data, when available. • We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period. • We will fully disclose our privacy policies in plain language, and make our policies easily accessible to you. • We will notify you of any revisions to our privacy policy, in advance. No surprises. • You have choices about how this Blog uses your information for marketing purposes. Customers are in control.
This Privacy Policy identifies and describes the way This Blog uses and protects the information we collect about visitors. All use of this Blog is subject to this Privacy Policy.
Use of Location Information • When your wireless device is on, it sends periodic signals to the nearest cell site. We use that information to provide your wireless services; • You can use your wireless device to obtain a wide array of services based on the approximate location of the device, referred to as Location Based Services, or LBS. The information you receive in connection with your use of LBS may include advertisements related to your request and your location;
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The Information We Collect, How We Collect It, And How We Use It
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We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including to: • Provide you with the best visitor experience possible; • Deliver customized content that may be of interest to you; • Address network integrity and security issues; • Investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies; and • For local directory and directory assistance purposes.
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This Privacy Policy identifies and describes the way This Blog uses and protects the information we collect about visitors. All use of this Blog is subject to this Privacy Policy.
Use of Location Information • When your wireless device is on, it sends periodic signals to the nearest cell site. We use that information to provide your wireless services; • You can use your wireless device to obtain a wide array of services based on the approximate location of the device, referred to as Location Based Services, or LBS. The information you receive in connection with your use of LBS may include advertisements related to your request and your location;
Online Activity Tracking and Advertising• We collect information about your activity on this Blog for a number of purposes using technologies such as cookies, Web beacons, widgets and server log files. • We and our advertising partners use that information, as well as other information they have or we may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about ads you see on other sites.
The Information We Collect, How We Collect It, And How We Use It
We collect different types of personal and other information based on your use of our products and services and our business relationship with you. Some examples include: • Contact Information that allows us to communicate with you -- including your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address; • Equipment, Performance, Site Usage, Viewing and other Technical Information about your use of our network, services, products or Web sites.
We collect information in 2 primary ways:• You give it to us when you register to provide comments; • We collect it automatically when you visit our Blog.
We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including to: • Provide you with the best visitor experience possible; • Deliver customized content that may be of interest to you; • Address network integrity and security issues; • Investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, violations of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policies; and • For local directory and directory assistance purposes.
Aggregate or Anonymous Information:
We may share aggregate or anonymous information in various formats with trusted entities’ only for purposes such as: • Our knowledge, and offer of information that may be of interest to you; • Universities, laboratories and other entities that conduct scientific research; and • Media research companies for general information only.
More information:
http://www.tax-international.com
28 Feb 2006
International VAT/GST Guidelines
Interesting Guidelines by the OCDE: http://www.law.uconn.edu/news/events/itax/vat.pdf
More on www.braxton-com/en, www.jpa-iac.com/en and http://www.tax-international.com/.
More on www.braxton-com/en, www.jpa-iac.com/en and http://www.tax-international.com/.
24 Apr 2004
El juego del IVA en el comercio electronico
En principio, cuando un emprendedor decide vender sus productos o servicios a través de Internet, el régimen fiscal aplicable debería ser igual que en el comercio tradicional. Sin embargo, la cuestión no es tan sencilla, especialmente si tiene la suerte –o la desdicha, fiscalmente hablando- de que sus productos tienen éxito en otro país. Primero, debe ser consciente de que su página web, en función de la legislación de ese otro país, puede ser considerada un Establecimiento Permanente y, por lo tanto, sujeta a Impuesto de Sociedades en el país extranjero. Pero donde más quebraderos de cabeza tendrá es con el IVA.
Porque entonces tendrá que distinguir si la venta es offline (por ejemplo, la entrega del artículo comprado -un libro- se envía por correo) o es online (en cuyo caso el comprador se descarga el libro), porque el IVA aplicable es sustancialmente distinto (4% o 16%), porque todo bien “digital” se considera, a efectos de IVA, un servicio.
Hasta ahora, las punto com europeas competían en desventaja frente a sus homólogas norteamericanas porque éstas no debían incluir IVA y las europeas sí. Pero desde el día 1 de este mes las empresas no europeas que vendan por Internet (cursos a distancia, software, etc) a consumidores europeos deberán aplicar en sus ventas el tipo de IVA (del 15% de Luxemburgo al 25% de Dinamarca) y pedir un número de NIF/IVA al menos en un Estado miembro.
¿Lo harán?. Salvo aquellas empresas que publiquen regularmente el origen de sus ingresos (porque coticen en el NASDAQ, por ejemplo), lo dudo. Identificar la residencia de cada consumidor, conocer el IVA aplicable en ese Estado, incluirlo en la factura e ingresarlo en el Estado en que la empresa está identificada a efectos de IVA probablemente será un proceso demasiado complejo para ellos.
En mi opinión, las punto com españolas deberán aprovechar esta Directiva para vender en países europeos con una tasa alta de IVA. Así, el IVA del producto digital “made in Spain” tendrá un IVA del 16% en Suecia, frente al 25% de los productos norteamericanos y suecos.
Salvador Trinxet Llorca
Porque entonces tendrá que distinguir si la venta es offline (por ejemplo, la entrega del artículo comprado -un libro- se envía por correo) o es online (en cuyo caso el comprador se descarga el libro), porque el IVA aplicable es sustancialmente distinto (4% o 16%), porque todo bien “digital” se considera, a efectos de IVA, un servicio.
Hasta ahora, las punto com europeas competían en desventaja frente a sus homólogas norteamericanas porque éstas no debían incluir IVA y las europeas sí. Pero desde el día 1 de este mes las empresas no europeas que vendan por Internet (cursos a distancia, software, etc) a consumidores europeos deberán aplicar en sus ventas el tipo de IVA (del 15% de Luxemburgo al 25% de Dinamarca) y pedir un número de NIF/IVA al menos en un Estado miembro.
¿Lo harán?. Salvo aquellas empresas que publiquen regularmente el origen de sus ingresos (porque coticen en el NASDAQ, por ejemplo), lo dudo. Identificar la residencia de cada consumidor, conocer el IVA aplicable en ese Estado, incluirlo en la factura e ingresarlo en el Estado en que la empresa está identificada a efectos de IVA probablemente será un proceso demasiado complejo para ellos.
En mi opinión, las punto com españolas deberán aprovechar esta Directiva para vender en países europeos con una tasa alta de IVA. Así, el IVA del producto digital “made in Spain” tendrá un IVA del 16% en Suecia, frente al 25% de los productos norteamericanos y suecos.
Salvador Trinxet Llorca
23 Apr 2004
La fiscalidad en el comercio electronico
La fiscalidad en el comercio electrónico
Los países están intentado adaptar sus modelos impositivos a los nuevos tiempos. Así, frente a los que sostienen una moratoria (Estados Unidos) o impuestos especiales (bit-tax), España y otros países adaptan sus tributos tradicionales, lo que no siempre es fácil, dada la facilidad de “burlar” las obligaciones fiscales que ofrece Internet,o de tributar en dos países por el mismo hecho.
Las empresas de comercio electrónico, o las empresas y profesionales que compran bienes o servicios de dichas empresas, no siempre tienen una idea clara de cuánto y dónde deben tributar por sus actividades o compras. Por ello, la Cámara de Comercio de Barcelona organiza una Conferencia el día 28 de abril en su sede de La Llotja sobre las consecuencias fiscales del comercio electrónico.
Beneficios empresariales y cánones
Pongamos un típico ejemplo de comercio electrónico: un comerciante que realiza toda su actividad a través de una página web, a través de la cual los usuarios pueden adquirir cds, ya sea descargándoselos directamente en su ordenador, o bien mediante entrega física del mismo.
Ante este caso, parece existir consenso en que cuando se realiza comercio offline (es decir, el “producto” no se descarga de Internet), las rentas deben ser consideradas beneficios empresariales. En cambio, cuando el comercio es online, hay discrepancias en cuanto a la consideración de las rentas como beneficios empresariales o como cánones. Esta calificación tiene consecuencias fundamentales para determinar la tributación en cada caso, ya que dependiendo de lo establecido en los convenios de doble imposición, se deberá ingresar el impuesto en un país o en otro. En España esta distinción no será importante hasta el año 2011 porque goza de un período transitorio en la Directiva sobre cánones.
La localización de las actividades comerciales
Tradicionalmente, en los convenios de doble imposición hacen referencia al “lugar fijo de negocios”, y a su “permanencia física” para determinar la existencia de un establecimiento permanente en el otro país. La resolución de esta cuestión es relevante, toda vez que la existencia de un establecimiento permanente en un Estado, otorga a éste la capacidad de gravar con impuestos. En el caso del e-commerce, estos términos son obsoletos. Además, no queda claro si detrás de un establecimiento permanente debe haber personas físicas que gestionen dicho establecimiento, o puede gestionarse automáticamente mediante medios informáticos. Por ello existe un debate muy intenso centrado en determinar si un servidor o una página web pueden constituirlo. La OCDE ha publicado una propuesta especificando lo siguiente:
- Posesión de información y software (página web): no constituye “lugar fijo de negocios” por sí mismo.
- Posesión de equipo informático (servidor): puede constituir establecimiento permanente si:
a) es propiedad de la empresa
b) está operado en forma remota o in situ por empleados de la empresa
c) tiene una permanencia estable en el tiempo
Por el contrario, no constituirá Establecimiento Permanente si:
a) se ha contratado el servicio de alojamiento de otra empresa; o
b) si realiza únicamente funciones preparatorias o auxiliares (enlaces, publicidad, suministro de información)
En el punto en el que sí parece existir consenso es en que la mera posesión de una página web alojada en un servidor ajeno, no constituye un establecimiento permanente.
Por último, cabe mencionar el Informe de la Comisión para el Estudio del impacto del Comercio electrónico en la fiscalidad española, creada en el año 1999 por la Secretaría de Estado de Hacienda, que señala que la clave de la cuestión no radicaría en la permanencia física, sino en que se operara económicamente en un Estado en forma regular, continuada y estable. Ello ocurriría cuando se superara un volumen mínimo de operaciones durante un año, y se cumplieran otros requisitos de vinculación, señalándose como criterios orientadores los siguientes:
- la posibilidad de perfeccionar el contrato a través de Internet.
- la utilización de publicidad dirigida a un colectivo en particular, que sólo pueda residir en un país concreto
- la contratación de servicios post-venta con carácter de permanencia
- la aceptación o pertenencia a instituciones de carácter nacional
- el mantenimiento de depósitos de mercancías
- la vinculación estable con instituciones financieras nacionales
- la vinculación estable con empresas de mensajería nacional
Dinero electrónico
La progresiva utilización de medios de pago electrónicos redunda en la reducción de los registros contables, y en el anonimato de las operaciones, creando un clima de pseudo impunidad en la evasión de capitales, y facilitando la utilización de bancos establecidos en paraísos fiscales. Por ello la OCDE pide que al menos se identifique a una de las partes.
El Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido
En España la entrega de libros tributaría al tipo reducido del 4%. En le caso de un libro electrónico, por su transmisión online se califica no como un bien, sino como un servicio, por lo que tributa cuatro veces más.
Además, a pesar de una reciente Directiva, se gravan con IVA español operaciones cuyo consumo se produce fuera de la UE y no se gravan transacciones cuyo consumo se produce dentro de nuestras fronteras. Una reciente Directiva pretende que, cuando la que presta los servicios es una empresa no comunitaria, el IVA tributará en el país del comprador, sea este particular o empresa. También tributará en el país del comprador los servicios ofrecidos por empresas comunitarias, salvo que lo presten a particulares domiciliados en la UE, en cuyo caso tributan en el país del vendedor. Esto obligará a las empresas de comercio electrónico no comunitarias a registrarse en uno de los países de la UE donde operen. En mi opinión, sólo las empresas extranjeras que cotizan en Bolsa lo harán.
Salvador Trinxet Llorca
Miembro de la Comisión de Asuntos Fiscales
Cámara de Comercio de Barcelona
(artículo publicado)
Los países están intentado adaptar sus modelos impositivos a los nuevos tiempos. Así, frente a los que sostienen una moratoria (Estados Unidos) o impuestos especiales (bit-tax), España y otros países adaptan sus tributos tradicionales, lo que no siempre es fácil, dada la facilidad de “burlar” las obligaciones fiscales que ofrece Internet,o de tributar en dos países por el mismo hecho.
Las empresas de comercio electrónico, o las empresas y profesionales que compran bienes o servicios de dichas empresas, no siempre tienen una idea clara de cuánto y dónde deben tributar por sus actividades o compras. Por ello, la Cámara de Comercio de Barcelona organiza una Conferencia el día 28 de abril en su sede de La Llotja sobre las consecuencias fiscales del comercio electrónico.
Beneficios empresariales y cánones
Pongamos un típico ejemplo de comercio electrónico: un comerciante que realiza toda su actividad a través de una página web, a través de la cual los usuarios pueden adquirir cds, ya sea descargándoselos directamente en su ordenador, o bien mediante entrega física del mismo.
Ante este caso, parece existir consenso en que cuando se realiza comercio offline (es decir, el “producto” no se descarga de Internet), las rentas deben ser consideradas beneficios empresariales. En cambio, cuando el comercio es online, hay discrepancias en cuanto a la consideración de las rentas como beneficios empresariales o como cánones. Esta calificación tiene consecuencias fundamentales para determinar la tributación en cada caso, ya que dependiendo de lo establecido en los convenios de doble imposición, se deberá ingresar el impuesto en un país o en otro. En España esta distinción no será importante hasta el año 2011 porque goza de un período transitorio en la Directiva sobre cánones.
La localización de las actividades comerciales
Tradicionalmente, en los convenios de doble imposición hacen referencia al “lugar fijo de negocios”, y a su “permanencia física” para determinar la existencia de un establecimiento permanente en el otro país. La resolución de esta cuestión es relevante, toda vez que la existencia de un establecimiento permanente en un Estado, otorga a éste la capacidad de gravar con impuestos. En el caso del e-commerce, estos términos son obsoletos. Además, no queda claro si detrás de un establecimiento permanente debe haber personas físicas que gestionen dicho establecimiento, o puede gestionarse automáticamente mediante medios informáticos. Por ello existe un debate muy intenso centrado en determinar si un servidor o una página web pueden constituirlo. La OCDE ha publicado una propuesta especificando lo siguiente:
- Posesión de información y software (página web): no constituye “lugar fijo de negocios” por sí mismo.
- Posesión de equipo informático (servidor): puede constituir establecimiento permanente si:
a) es propiedad de la empresa
b) está operado en forma remota o in situ por empleados de la empresa
c) tiene una permanencia estable en el tiempo
Por el contrario, no constituirá Establecimiento Permanente si:
a) se ha contratado el servicio de alojamiento de otra empresa; o
b) si realiza únicamente funciones preparatorias o auxiliares (enlaces, publicidad, suministro de información)
En el punto en el que sí parece existir consenso es en que la mera posesión de una página web alojada en un servidor ajeno, no constituye un establecimiento permanente.
Por último, cabe mencionar el Informe de la Comisión para el Estudio del impacto del Comercio electrónico en la fiscalidad española, creada en el año 1999 por la Secretaría de Estado de Hacienda, que señala que la clave de la cuestión no radicaría en la permanencia física, sino en que se operara económicamente en un Estado en forma regular, continuada y estable. Ello ocurriría cuando se superara un volumen mínimo de operaciones durante un año, y se cumplieran otros requisitos de vinculación, señalándose como criterios orientadores los siguientes:
- la posibilidad de perfeccionar el contrato a través de Internet.
- la utilización de publicidad dirigida a un colectivo en particular, que sólo pueda residir en un país concreto
- la contratación de servicios post-venta con carácter de permanencia
- la aceptación o pertenencia a instituciones de carácter nacional
- el mantenimiento de depósitos de mercancías
- la vinculación estable con instituciones financieras nacionales
- la vinculación estable con empresas de mensajería nacional
Dinero electrónico
La progresiva utilización de medios de pago electrónicos redunda en la reducción de los registros contables, y en el anonimato de las operaciones, creando un clima de pseudo impunidad en la evasión de capitales, y facilitando la utilización de bancos establecidos en paraísos fiscales. Por ello la OCDE pide que al menos se identifique a una de las partes.
El Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido
En España la entrega de libros tributaría al tipo reducido del 4%. En le caso de un libro electrónico, por su transmisión online se califica no como un bien, sino como un servicio, por lo que tributa cuatro veces más.
Además, a pesar de una reciente Directiva, se gravan con IVA español operaciones cuyo consumo se produce fuera de la UE y no se gravan transacciones cuyo consumo se produce dentro de nuestras fronteras. Una reciente Directiva pretende que, cuando la que presta los servicios es una empresa no comunitaria, el IVA tributará en el país del comprador, sea este particular o empresa. También tributará en el país del comprador los servicios ofrecidos por empresas comunitarias, salvo que lo presten a particulares domiciliados en la UE, en cuyo caso tributan en el país del vendedor. Esto obligará a las empresas de comercio electrónico no comunitarias a registrarse en uno de los países de la UE donde operen. En mi opinión, sólo las empresas extranjeras que cotizan en Bolsa lo harán.
Salvador Trinxet Llorca
Miembro de la Comisión de Asuntos Fiscales
Cámara de Comercio de Barcelona
(artículo publicado)
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