Tax, from e-invoice to short-term rentals how VAT changes

The European Union is changing VAT. The ongoing digital evolution is the driving force to change the fulfilments related to the payment and collection of the tax. The objective is twofold. On the one hand, to try to catch up on the evasion of value added tax (the so-called Vat gap), which the latest report of the EU commission calculated to be about 89.3 billion in total among all EU countries by the end of 2022. On the other hand, to lighten the bureaucratic burdens weighing down above all on SMEs, the small and medium-sized enterprises, which are called upon to fulfil a series of burdensome obligations both in terms of financial resources absorbed and in terms of not being able to concentrate on growth. Issues that will be the subject of the Focus Norme e tributi on newsstands on Thursday 17 April together with the newspaper, at a total price of €3..

The attempt to change course is contained in the Vida package (Vat in the digital age), consisting of a directive and two regulations. The beating heart is the directive that charts the trajectory to be followed over the next ten years. The start is set for today - Monday 14 April 2025 - the date from which it comes into force and which already marks an important first watershed. All EU Member States will be able to adopt internal e-invoicing systems without going through the prior authorisation request of the EU Commission.

A digitalisation on which Italy has played in advance, with the generalised obligation triggered precisely in 2019. And which, according to the latest available data, has seen as many as 2.4 billion documents issued by 4.8 million VAT registered operators transiting through the Revenue's interchange system (Sdi).

Now, however, other major European partners are moving in the same direction, facilitated by the fact that with the Vida directive, the e-invoicing process for internal transactions is no longer subject to any authorisation requirements. For example, Germany has started the voluntary issuance of structured e-invoices as of 1 January 2025, but all companies will have to be able to receive them; the project will continue as of 1 January 2027 with the obligation of structured e-invoicing for taxpayers with a turnover over EUR 800,000, while as of 1 January 2028 the obligation of structured e-invoicing will apply to all taxpayers regardless of turnover.

In Spain, to give another example, a first phase is being defined from 2027 for big taxpayers (turnover over 8 million) and a second from 2028 for all other taxpayers.