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.

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.

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.

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.