According to Union law, the right to deduct input VAT arises when the deductible VAT becomes chargeable. In its recent ruling, the ECJ confirms this rule also for the case that the VAT becomes chargeable only upon receipt of payment due to the supplier calculating its VAT on the basis of the remuneration received (cash accounting scheme). The recipient can then deduct the input VAT only at the time of payment. This applies to all recipients, irrespective of how they calculate their VAT. In this respect, the German law and the current view of the tax authorities are contrary to Union law.
Source KMLZ
