European Council Agrees on the VAT Directive for Distance Sales of Imported Goods

On May 13, the European Council reached agreement on the position of member states on the directive on value added tax (VAT) rules for distance sales of imported goods and import VAT.

The Directive seeks to improve the collection of VAT on imported goods by making suppliers liable for the VAT paid on imports to encourage them to use the VAT import one-stop-shop (IOSS). The IOSS aims to simplify the declaration and payment of VAT when importing goods into the EU, since it is only necessary to register in one Member State only, including when making sales throughout the EU.

Foreign traders or platforms from third countries will be made liable for import VAT and VAT on the distance sales of imported goods in the member state of the final destination of the goods, so that they do not need to get registered in each member state.  The IOSS also shifts the burden for VAT collection from customers to platforms.

The draft Directive expects unanimous agreement of the Council. The European Parliament will be consulted on the agreed text. The text will then need to be formally adopted by the Council before being published in the EU’s Official Journal and entering into force.

Press release