THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 of 7 October 2010 on administrative cooperation and combating fraud in the field of value added tax, and in particular Article 44(1), second subparagraph of Article 44(2), Article 45(1) and (2), and Article 51(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 lays down the rules for the administrative cooperation and the fight against fraud in the field of value added tax (VAT). Articles 44 and 45 of Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 specifically concern the exchange of information relating to the special schemes for telecommunications, broadcasting or electronic services provided for in Chapter 6 of Title XII of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax. Those special schemes involve a taxable person established outside the Member State of consumption declaring the VAT due on relevant sales in the Member State of consumption via an electronic interface in the Member State of identification (one-stop shop).
(2)
Certain information relating to transactions carried out under those special schemes is to be collected and exchanged between Member States. Specifically, that relates to the exchange of identification and the collection and exchange of VAT return details, including corrections to those VAT returns, between Member States.
(3)
To ensure that information is exchanged in a uniform manner, it is necessary to adopt the technical details for such exchange, including a common electronic message. This would also allow for the uniform development of the technical and functional specifications, as they would follow a regulated framework.
(4)
Certain information relating to changes to the identification details such as the exclusion from the special schemes, the voluntary cessation or the change of Member State of identification should also be exchanged, without delay, in a uniform manner in order to allow Member States to monitor the correct application of the special schemes and to combat fraud. To that end, common arrangements for the electronic exchange of such information should be provided.
(5)
In order to keep the administrative burden to a minimum, it is necessary to establish certain requirements for the electronic interface that facilitate submission of identification information and VAT returns by taxable persons. Member States should not be prevented from providing additional functionalities to further reduce administrative burdens.
(6)
In order to ensure that the information relating to registration into the scheme, and VAT returns rendered under the scheme, can be transmitted and processed effectively Member States should develop their electronic interface in a uniform manner. It is therefore necessary to establish the common electronic message for the transmission of that information.
(7)
It is necessary to clarify the information to be submitted in cases where no sales under the special schemes are made in a particular period in one or all Member States.
(8)
With a view to enabling Member States and taxable persons to refer to the VAT returns in an unequivocal way in their subsequent communications, including on the payment of the tax, the Member State of identification should allocate a unique reference number to each VAT return.
(9)
This Regulation should apply from the same day from which Articles 44 and 45 of Regulation (EU) No 904/2010 apply.
(10)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Administrative Cooperation,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: