To simplify the tax obligations of companies operating in various European countries, the EU Commission has approved the proposal for a directive of the European Council amending directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax and introducing a declaration Standard VAT.
The proposal forms part of the harmonization of indirect taxes on the one hand and, on the other, in the context of simplification in administrative matters, with particular reference to VAT obligations, which has been strongly recalled for years by the European institutions.
The goal is to arrive, by 2016, at the preparation of a single standardized model that can be applied in all 28 countries belonging to the European Union, which contains a limited number of mandatory information, to be presented in a common format, preferably electronic. The proposal mainly concerns the content, methods and deadlines for presentation and payment. It also contains amendments to other VAT returns and communications.
Specifically, from the point of view of content, a standardized declaration is envisaged for all countries based on a maximum of twenty-six boxes, configuring a considerable simplification compared to the 586 boxes that make up the current Italian declaration. As for the methods of presentation, there is an obligation to submit electronically in all Member States, using advanced electronic signatures that are interoperable throughout the EU.
In order to reduce the frequency of obligations, it has been envisaged that the tax period must have a monthly frequency for all companies, with the exception of micro-enterprises, for which a quarterly frequency is established, except for the possibility of extending the deadline for a maximum period of one year. The minimum deadline for submitting the return is established by the end of the month following the tax period, without prejudice to the right to extend it for a further month.
The payment terms coincide with the moment of presentation of the return or with the deadline established for its presentation. At the same time, the abolition of the option for the Member States to provide for different payment terms or to request provisional advances is being decided.
Lastly, the proposal for a directive provides for the suppression of the declaration concerning the importation of goods and of the annual VAT data communication.
Indeed, the need for a reduction in administrative constraints on business activity was highlighted in the conclusions of the Presidency of the European Council as early as 2007, when the importance of reducing red tape was highlighted in order to accelerate economic growth European. To this end, the European Commission was delegated to develop a specific implementation plan, in which, among others, the area relating to value added tax was identified as an area of intervention.
Thus, in 2009 the European Commission presented a document aimed at simplifying the related obligations. In December 2010, the "Green Book on the future of VAT" was published, in which a consultation on the future of the tax was launched. Here, the proposal was made for a standardized VAT return for all member countries, which can be optionally adopted by operators, but which must be compulsorily implemented in each state. In December 2011, the European Commission, on the basis of the positive responses received from the previous consultation, produced a communication on the future of VAT which, among other things, set the objective of presenting, by 2013, a proposal aimed at introducing a standardized VAT return. At the same time as the publication of the Green Paper, a "VAT expert group" was set up which, in November 2012, proposed various possibilities for intervention, including the introduction of a standard VAT model.
As a result of the path outlined up to now, which was also included in subsequent consultations in the context of the "Small Business Act" and in the context of the "group on the future of VAT", which met in January 2013, the formulation of the current proposal.
