The upcoming introduction of a split payment system by the Romanian tax authorities will enable them to control future payment transactions between taxpayers. It is expected that, as of 1 January 2018, it will be mandatory for customers to transfer invoiced VAT amounts to a special tax account of the supplier. The regulation will also be applicable for taxpayers not established in Romania but registered for VAT purposes there.

The German Ministry of Finance implements Federal Fiscal Court case law with respect to the waiver of VAT exemptions, as well as the withdrawal thereof. Accordingly, in the future, the waiver and its withdrawal are still permissible up to the substantive enforceability. However, this does not apply to the supply of immovable property outside of a foreclosure procedure. In the future, a taxable person can only opt for VAT liability when a notarial sales contract is concluded.

GREECE extends local Reverse Charge mechanism +++ INDIA implemented new VAT system +++ ITALY shortens period for claiming input VAT and extends split-payment-system +++ POLAND intends to implement split-payment-system and extends SAF-T reporting obligations +++ ROMANIA introduces data-base for high risk businesses +++ RUSSIA intends to increase standard VAT rate by 4 percentage points +++ SWITZERLAND considers global turnover to be decisive for the liability to pay VAT +++ HUNGARY implement obligation to electronically transfer invoice details after a preliminary test phase and publishes “Blacklist”.