EU VAT Overhaul Unrealistic, Companies and Business Groups Say

The EU is rushing too fast toward an overhaul of its value-added tax rules, with changes that might prove to be difficult to implement, several companies and business associations said.

In particular, a two-day deadline for issuing invoices for cross-border transactions within the European Union will likely face multiple difficulties in practice, organizations including the European Tax Adviser Federation, Independent Retail Europe, and the Tax Executives Institute said, in responses to a European Commission consultation that closes Tuesday.

The commission, the EU’s executive, published proposals in December to upgrade the bloc’s VAT system by pushing EU member countries ...