International VAT Conference 2021

DAY 1
EU Action Plan
Tuesday, 20 April

The European Commission recently published an Action Plan for fair and simple taxation for 2020 to 2024. In this session, we comment on the initiatives that have a VAT impact, such as VAT Package in the digital age, updating and simplifying VAT rules for financial services, VAT dispute resolution mechanisms, and transforming the VAT Committee.

In the last year, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has decided a number of significant VAT cases. This session reviews recent key cases of the CJEU and their impact on how indirect tax is applied across the EU.

If you ever wondered how to import your goods into the EU from abroad, in particular after Brexit, without disruption to your supply chain and without cash flow disadvantages, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to familiarize yourself with different alternatives offered by the customs and VAT landscape. The correct structuring of customs and VAT representations not only facilitates supply chains, but also it has a big impact on the ability to recover import VAT. In addition, customs instruments can be used to manage the cash flow related to import VAT.

VAT legislation and new technologies have always struggled to align. However, the near future will become even more challenging. In this session we discuss the potential impact on VAT legislation with technological advances like the decentralization of organizations and finance, blockchain and crypto, machine learning (AI) and the Internet of Things.

The European technology, media, and telecom sector has been facing abundant legislative and case law developments with major VAT ramifications for its market players. This session focuses on recent VAT changes with respect to digital services, Mini One Stop Shop, deemed reseller rules for marketplaces, best practices to handle multijurisdictional VAT audits and VAT audit readiness.

Our annual review of key VAT developments outside Europe is covered in this session. We provide a bird's eye view of what is going on in Asia-Pacific and we discuss which indirect tax developments have occurred or will occur.

Our annual review of key VAT developments outside of the EU is covered in this session. We provide a bird's eye view of what is going on in Switzerland, Türkiye, Russia and the CIS, the Gulf and South Africa.

A series of CJEU and domestic judgments has highlighted the ongoing issues arising from the application of financial services exemptions and VAT deduction rules for global financial services businesses. This breakout session considers these issues, including market and policy developments.

Our annual review of key VAT developments outside Europe is covered in this session. We provide a bird's eye view of what is going on in the Americas and we discuss which indirect tax developments have occurred or will occur.