The French Supreme Court reaffirmed that contractual arrangements determine the recipient of services for VAT purposes in the American Express case. It ruled that issuer commissions are considered services supplied to a non‑EU recipient, allowing the French entity to recover VAT on those commissions. The decision reinforces the importance of economic substance and contractual reality in VAT treatment.
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SniTechnology · about 16 hours ago
France confirms that the September 2026 e-invoicing mandate will proceed as scheduled, with updated technical standards released by AFNOR. The update introduces a new self-billing scenario for agriculture and expands documented use cases from 44 to 45.
Tradeshift · 4 days ago
France's e-invoicing mandate will take effect on 1 September 2026, requiring all registered companies to issue and receive e-invoices and large and mid-sized firms to report electronically. The final technical guidelines from AFNOR and the AIFE's external specifications have been released, while the pilot phase shows low participation rates.
EINPresswire · 4 days ago
France's e-invoicing pilot program begins on 1 September 2026, with a voluntary testing phase from February to August 2026. The pilot allows businesses to test mandatory B2B e-invoicing and B2C/cross-border e-reporting before the mandatory deadline. Participation is voluntary but offers insight into data flow between trading partners, accredited platforms and tax authorities.
TaxFoundation · 4 days ago
France's digital services tax (DST) imposes a 3% rate on digital intermediation and targeted advertising services supplied by large firms when they exceed €750 million worldwide and €25 million France. The tax is calculated on taxable sums received, multiplied by a France-presence coefficient, and it creates a cascading effect that can disproportionately burden low-margin businesses.
Orbitax · 5 days ago
France will enforce mandatory e-invoicing from 1 September 2026. All taxable persons must receive e-invoices, while large and intermediate enterprises must issue them. The deadline was extended from 2024 to 2026 under the Finance Law for 2024.
LinkedIn Article by e-Invoice.app · 5 days ago
France has released a practical guide for the start-up phase of its e-invoicing reform, effective 1 September 2026, stating that sanctions will not apply to businesses following a serious compliance trajectory. The guide outlines how firms should handle invoices outside the electronic circuit, preserve VAT deduction rights, and document corrective actions.
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Key Takeaways
It ruled that issuer commissions are considered consideration for services supplied to a non‑EU recipient, allowing the French entity to recover VAT on those commissions.
By treating issuer commissions as services to a non‑EU recipient, the ruling enables French entities to claim VAT deductions on those commissions, improving their VAT recovery ratio.
The Court relied on the principle that contractual terms must reflect the economic and commercial reality of the transaction, citing the CJEU Paul Newey judgment.
The improved VAT recovery from treating commissions as services to a non‑EU recipient can enhance the salaries tax position, as the tax depends on the proportion of turnover that allows VAT deduction.
Primary source
Read the full article at Bloomberg TaxThis summary was published on VATfaqs.com on 12 May 2026. It relates to VAT developments in France. The original source is Bloomberg Tax.
