A UK court upheld HMRC's assessment and imposed a penalty of over £1 million on a private healthcare company that filed a VAT appeal late. The ruling confirms that companies must meet strict conditions to challenge VAT assessments and that late appeals can trigger significant penalties.

The Philippine Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) issued a decision on Jan. 7 clarifying that a VAT deficiency assessment is void if the preliminary assessment notice (PAN) and formal letter of demand (FLD) lack the required annexes detailing the factual basis of the findings. The ruling applies to a domestic corporation’s assessment covering July 1 2013‑June 30 2014, underscoring the importance of proper documentation in BIR assessments.

Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa announced plans to inspect a Chinese‑owned steel company suspected of VAT evasion next week. The Ministry has identified 40 steel firms, with the two largest slated for inspection, and estimates that VAT avoidance could cost the state over Rp 4 trillion annually. The investigation will involve tracing tax reports, company registrations, ownership, and detaining tax‑related personnel.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has revealed that one in three of its VAT fraud investigations involve Slovakia, highlighting the country as a major transit point for criminal money flows. The report estimates VAT fraud costs the EU €50 billion annually and notes that tax fraud up to €20,000 is no longer a criminal offence in Slovakia.

Malaysia has postponed the mandatory MyInvois e‑invoicing requirement for businesses with annual turnover between RM1 million and RM5 million to 1 January 2027, extending the penalty‑free transition period. The RM500 000–RM1 million threshold was raised to RM1 million, cancelling that rollout wave, while larger taxpayers remain on the original schedule. Consolidated e‑invoicing will also expand to retail and building‑materials sectors.

China’s State Taxation Administration announced new mandatory VAT registration rules effective 1 January 2026, requiring businesses with annual taxable sales above RMB 5 million to register as general VAT taxpayers. The announcement introduces retroactive compliance, mandatory registration for specific sectors, and automatic reclassification for late registrants, increasing compliance risk for businesses near the threshold.

France's DGFiP has released the first official list of definitively certified Approved Platforms for e‑invoicing, with just over 100 platforms now certified. The list will be updated as platforms complete audits, and the mandatory e‑invoicing go‑live is set for 1 September 2026, following a pilot phase in February 2026. Companies must use an Approved Platform and submit an audit report within a year of certification to maintain a renewable three‑year period.

The European Commission’s ViDA strategy outlines a phased reform of VAT systems across the EU, introducing real‑time digital reporting, mandatory e‑invoicing, and platform‑economy rules. Key milestones include legislative clarifications (2025‑2027), platform rules for accommodation and transport (2028), mandatory e‑invoicing for intra‑EU B2B (2030), and full harmonisation of digital reporting (2035). The reforms aim to save businesses €51 billion and reduce fraud by up to €11 billion annually.

A UK court upheld HMRC's decision to reject a private healthcare company's late VAT appeal, confirming that the company must meet strict conditions to challenge the assessments and the £1.3 million penalty. The ruling reinforces HMRC's authority to enforce timely appeals and the penalties for late submissions.

The Nicaraguan Directorate General of Revenue issued Notice No. 010-01-2026 on Jan. 16, 2026, setting a Jan. 20 deadline for large taxpayers (GRACOS) to pay advance VAT for the first half of January. Failure to meet the deadline could impact tax solvency. This guidance applies to large taxpayers in Nicaragua.

The article argues that India’s 2026 budget should overhaul the GST structure, financing options, and fleet economics to accelerate electric vehicle adoption. It proposes reducing GST on batteries and charging services to 5%, reclassifying battery swapping as an energy service, extending vehicle life norms, and providing green credit and toll waivers to lower ownership costs and support large fleet conversions.

The article discusses the CJEU Advocate General’s opinion in the Stellantis Portugal case, clarifying that transfer pricing adjustments agreed between parties may affect VAT taxable amounts, while unilateral tax authority adjustments do not. It distinguishes between separate services and contractual price adjustments, noting that a change in taxable amount does not constitute a separate supply of services. The final judgment is pending, expected before summer 2026, giving businesses time to assess implications.

Russia increased its VAT rate from 20% to 22% on 1 January 2026, expanding VAT registration to more small businesses. The Finance Ministry expects the hike to bring an extra 3.2 trillion rubles in revenue, while businesses have already raised prices to offset the tax change. The move aims to close the fiscal gap caused by war spending and falling oil revenues.

The EU is proposing two new customs charges for small‑value imported parcels: a €2 handling fee effective November 2026 and a flat €3 duty on goods below €150 effective July 2026. These charges would be paid via the IOSS monthly return and could undermine the scheme by increasing costs and operational complexity. The measures are temporary, pending 2028 customs reforms, and will be reviewed every three months.

The Oman Tax Authority (OTA) has been approved as a Peppol Authority and is advancing its e-invoicing rollout. A consultation session on December 9, 2025 reviewed the draft data dictionary, and OTA has set a phased accreditation schedule for Q1–Q3 2026, culminating in an August 2026 pilot where taxpayers can exchange e‑invoices. The draft dictionary specifies 53 mandatory fields for standard tax e‑invoices and 66 additional conditional fields.

China’s Ministry of Finance announced the cancellation of VAT export rebates for photovoltaic glass products effective 1 April 2026, which is expected to give a short‑term boost to soda ash prices. Battery product rebates will be phased out during 2026 and fully eliminated by 2027. The policy, declared on 9 January 2026, is part of a broader effort to curb excess inventory in the soda ash market.

HMRC has reversed its stance on UK VAT grouping, allowing overseas establishments of UK VAT groups to be treated as part of the group even in EU member states that do not allow whole entity VAT grouping. The change, announced on 19 January 2026, follows a November 2025 brief that also invites businesses to reclaim overpaid VAT. The shift aims to simplify cross‑border compliance and attract foreign investment, while expanding revenue‑protection rules.

Hungary has raised its Intrastat reporting thresholds for EU intra‑community dispatches and arrivals effective 1 January 2026. The arrivals threshold rises to HUF 500 million and the dispatches threshold to HUF 200 million, while the statistical reporting thresholds remain unchanged. The electronic Intrastat form now requires detailed data such as goods description, commodity code, delivery terms, transport mode, destination and origin countries, weight or quantity, and invoice value, and since January 2022 also the country of origin for dispatches and the VAT ID of the recipient.

The Bahamas will apply a 0% VAT rate to unprepared essential food items from 1 April 2026, replacing the 5% reduced rate introduced in 2025. This follows a broader VAT reform that lowered the standard rate from 12% to 10% in 2024, aiming to ease cost‑of‑living pressures for consumers.