Release of discussion drafts of two new elements of the OECD International VAT/GST Guidelines

18/12/2014 - The Committee on Fiscal Affairs (CFA) is developing International VAT/GST Guidelines (Guidelines) to address issues of double taxation and unintended non-taxation resulting from inconsistencies in the application of VAT to international trade. The first three chapters of these Guidelines were approved by the CFA in January 2014 and were endorsed as a global standard at the second meeting of the OECD Global Forum on VAT on 17-18 April 2014 in Tokyo.

Public comments are now invited on two new draft elements of these Guidelines. These discussion drafts relate to (i) the place of taxation of business-to-consumer supplies of services and intangibles (B2C Guidelines) and (ii) provisions to support the application of the Guidelines in practice (Supporting provisions). The discussion draft of the B2C Guidelines notably provides a response to the key conclusion on VAT/GST formulated in the Report on Tax Challenges of the Digital Economy, which was prepared in the context of the work on Action 1 of the BEPS Action Plan (digital economy). This Report concluded that “The collection of VAT in business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed urgently to protect tax revenue and to level the playing field between foreign suppliers relative to domestic suppliers. Work in this area by the Working Party No. 9 of the OECD CFA shall be completed by the end of 2015, with the Associates in the BEPS Project participating on an equal footing with the OECD member countries”.

Related Documents

International VAT Guidelines