Relevant articles in the EU VAT Directive 2006/112/EU
CHAPTER 1
General provisions
Article 62
For the purposes of this Directive:
(1) ‘chargeable event’ shall mean the occurrence by virtue of which the legal conditions necessary for VAT to become chargeable are fulfilled;
(2) VAT shall become ‘chargeable’ when the tax authority becomes entitled under the law, at a given moment, to claim the tax from the person liable to pay, even though the time of payment may be deferred.
CHAPTER 2
Supply of goods or services
Article 63
The chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable when the goods or the services are supplied.Article 62
For the purposes of this Directive:
(1) ‘chargeable event’ shall mean the occurrence by virtue of which the legal conditions necessary for VAT to become chargeable are fulfilled;
(2) VAT shall become ‘chargeable’ when the tax authority becomes entitled under the law, at a given moment, to claim the tax from the person liable to pay, even though the time of payment may be deferred.
Article 64
1. Where it gives rise to successive statements of account or successive payments, the supply of goods, other than that consisting in the hire of goods for a certain period or the sale of goods on deferred terms, as referred to in point (b) of Article 14(2), or the supply of services shall be regarded as being completed on expiry of the periods to which such statements of account or payments relate.
2. Continuous supplies of goods over a period of more than one calendar month which are dispatched or transported to a Member State other than that in which the dispatch or transport of those goods begins and which are supplied VAT-exempt or which are transferred VAT-exempt to another Member State by a taxable person for the purposes of his business, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 138, shall be regarded as being completed on expiry of each calendar month until such time as the supply comes to an end.
Supplies of services for which VAT is payable by the customer pursuant to Article 196, which are supplied continuously over a period of more than one year and which do not give rise to statements of account or payments during that period, shall be regarded as being completed on expiry of each calendar year until such time as the supply of services comes to an end.
Member States may provide that, in certain cases other than those referred to in the first and second subparagraphs, the continuous supply of goods or services over a period of time is to be regarded as being completed at least at intervals of one year.
Article 65
Where a payment is to be made on account before the goods or services are supplied, VAT shall become chargeable on receipt of the payment and on the amount received.
Article 66
By way of derogation from Articles 63, 64 and 65, Member States may provide that VAT is to become chargeable, in respect of certain transactions or certain categories of taxable person at one of the following times:
(a) no later than the time the invoice is issued;
(b) no later than the time the payment is received;
(c) where an invoice is not issued, or is issued late, within a specified time no later than on expiry of the time-limit for issue of invoices imposed by Member States pursuant to the second paragraph of Article 222 or where no such time-limit has been imposed by the Member State, within a specified period from the date of the chargeable event.
The derogation provided for in the first paragraph shall not, however, apply to supplies of services in respect of which VAT is payable by the customer pursuant to Article 196 and to supplies or transfers of goods referred to in Article 67.
Article 66a
By way of derogation from Articles 63, 64 and 65, the chargeable event of the supply of goods by a taxable person who is deemed to have received and supplied the goods in accordance with Article 14a and of the supply of goods to that taxable person shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable at the time when the payment has been accepted.
Article 67
Where, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 138, goods dispatched or transported to a Member State other than that in which dispatch or transport of the goods begins are supplied VAT-exempt or where goods are transferred VAT-exempt to another Member State by a taxable person for the purposes of his business, VAT shall become chargeable on issue of the invoice, or on expiry of the time limit referred to in the first paragraph of Article 222 if no invoice has been issued by that time.
Article 64(1), the third subparagraph of Article 64(2) and Article 65 shall not apply with respect to the supplies and transfers of goods referred to in the first paragraph.
CHAPTER 3
Intra-Community acquisition of goods
Article 68
The chargeable event shall occur when the intra-Community acquisition of goods is made.
The intra-Community acquisition of goods shall be regarded as being made when the supply of similar goods is regarded as being effected within the territory of the relevant Member State.
Article 69
In the case of the intra-Community acquisition of goods, VAT shall become chargeable on issue of the invoice, or on expiry of the time limit referred to in the first paragraph of Article 222 if no invoice has been issued by that time.
CHAPTER 4
Importation of goods
Article 70
The chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable when the goods are imported.
Article 71
1. Where, on entry into the Community, goods are placed under one of the arrangements or situations referred to in Articles 156, 276 and 277, or under temporary importation arrangements with total exemption from import duty, or under external transit arrangements, the chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable only when the goods cease to be covered by those arrangements or situations.
However, where imported goods are subject to customs duties, to agricultural levies or to charges having equivalent effect established under a common policy, the chargeable event shall occur and VAT shall become chargeable when the chargeable event in respect of those duties occurs and those duties become chargeable.
2. Where imported goods are not subject to any of the duties referred to in the second subparagraph of paragraph 1, Member States shall, as regards the chargeable event and the moment when VAT becomes chargeable, apply the provisions in force governing customs duties.
ECJ Cases Decided
- C-111/75
- C-281/91 (Muys’ en De Winter’s Bouw- en Aannemingsbedrijf BV) – Grant of deferred payment against consideration of interest, by supplier of goods or services
- C-10/92
- C-85/97
- C-419/02 (BUPA Hospitals and Goldsborough Developments) – No liability for non-binding advance payments for unspecified goods
- C-277/05 (Société thermale d’Eugénie-Les-Bains) – Reservation for an accomodation was outside scope of VAT
- C-483/08 (Régie communale autonome du stade Luc Varenne) – Tax point for recovery of improperly deducted VAT is the day he deducted VAT for the first time
- C-274/10 (Commission v Hungary) – No limitation of refund if invoices are not paid
- C-118/11 (Eon Aset Menidjmunt) – Input tax deduction for a vehicle that has been leased and made available to the employee
- C-549/11 (Orfey Balgaria EOOD) – Liability before services are provided when all details are known and services are accurately described
- C-19/12 (Efir) – Obligation in the event of early payment of full consideration upon the establishment of the right of superficies in exchange for construction services provided
- C-153/12 (Sani treyd) – Obligation in the event of early payment of full consideration upon the establishment of the right of superficies in exchange for the construction of a residential complex
- C-283/12 (Serebryannay vek) – Barter deal: Services supplied for free in return for not paying rent
- C-107/13 (FIRIN) – No right to deduct the VAT on prepayment if supply did not happen
- C-499/13 (Macikowski) – Liability to pay VAT on the supply of immovable property in the context of a forced auction
- C‑250/14 and C‑289/14 (Air France-KLM and Hop!Brit-Air) – The issue by an airline company of tickets for domestic flights is subject to VAT where those tickets have not been used by passengers
- C-463/14 (Asparuhovo Lake Investment Company) – Subscription for the provision of consultancy services
- C-516/14 (Barlis) – Vague description of the services and the dates may not lead to refusal of VAT deduction
- C-422/17 (Skarpa Travel) – Judgment – Travel agents scheme; Deposits
- C-548/17 (Baumgarten Sports) – Periodic commission for placing professional football players not taxed at the time of placement
- C-324/20 (Finanzamt B) – Tax point for one-off services is when the services are supplied
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