Value Added Tax Act 1994

[F1 PART 1 U.K. Charge to VAT for acquisitions in Northern Ireland from member States

Textual Amendments

F1 Schs. 9ZA, 9ZB inserted (17.12.2020 for specified purposes, 31.12.2020 in so far as not already in force) by Taxation (Post-transition Period) Act 2020 (c. 26), s. 11(1)(e), Sch. 2 para. 2 (with s. 3(4), Sch. 2 para. 7(7)-(10)) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2020/1545, Pt. 4); S.I. 2020/1642, reg. 9

Charge to VAT U.K.

1 (1) VAT is charged, in accordance with this Schedule, on the acquisition in Northern Ireland of goods from a member State— U.K.

(a) by reference to the value of the acquisition as determined under Part 2 of this Schedule, and

(b) subject to paragraph 16, at the rate of VAT for the time being in force under section 2.

(2) VAT charged on the acquisition of goods in Northern Ireland from a member State is a liability of the person who acquires the goods and (subject to provisions about accounting and payment) becomes due at the time of acquisition.

(3) VAT charged on the acquisition of goods in Northern Ireland from a member State in accordance with this Schedule is referred to in this Schedule as “NI acquisition VAT”.

(4) References to VAT (without more) in this Act include NI acquisition VAT.

(5) The Commissioners may by regulations make provision about (including provision modifying) the application of provision that applies to value added tax made by or under any enactment (including provision made by or under this Act) to NI acquisition VAT or to goods acquired in Northern Ireland from a member State.

Scope of NI acquisition VAT U.K.

2 (1) NI acquisition VAT is charged on any acquisition from a member State of any goods where— U.K.

(a) the acquisition is a taxable acquisition,

(b) it takes place in Northern Ireland,

(c) it is not in pursuance of a taxable supply (see section 4(2)), and

(d) the person who makes it is a taxable person or the goods acquired are subject to a duty of excise or consist in a new means of transport.

(2) In this Act, a “taxable acquisition” means an acquisition of goods from a member State that—

(a) is not an exempt acquisition (see paragraph 17(5)), and

(b) falls within sub-paragraph (3) or is an acquisition of goods consisting in a new means of transport.

(3) An acquisition of goods from a member State falls within this sub-paragraph if—

(a) the goods are acquired in the course or furtherance of—

(i) any business carried on by any person, or

(ii) any activities carried on otherwise than by way of business by any body corporate or by any club, association, organisation or other unincorporated body,

(b) it is the person who carries on that business or those activities who acquires the goods, and

(c) the supplier—

(i) is taxable in a member State at the time of the transaction in pursuance of which the goods are acquired, and

(ii) in participating in that transaction, acts in the course or furtherance of a business carried on by the supplier.

Meaning of acquisition of goods from a member State U.K.

3 (1) References in this Act to the acquisition of goods from a member State are to an acquisition of goods in pursuance of a transaction that— U.K.

(a) is a supply of goods (including anything treated for the purposes of this Act as a supply of goods), and

(b) involves the removal of the goods from a member State (whether by or under the direction of the supplier, the person who acquires the goods or any other person),

and references in this Act, in relation to such an acquisition, to the supplier are to be construed accordingly.

(2) Where the person with the property in any goods does not change in consequence of anything which is treated for the purposes of this Act as a supply of goods, that supply is to be treated for the purposes of this Act as a transaction in pursuance of which there is an acquisition by the person making the supply.

(3) The Treasury may by regulations make provision about the circumstances in which an acquisition of goods is not to be treated as an acquisition of goods from a member State.

Time of acquisition U.K.

4 (1) For the purposes of this Act, the normal rule for determining the time that goods were acquired from a member State is that they are treated as being acquired on the earlier of— U.K.

(a) the 15th day of the month after the month in which the first removal of the goods occurs, and

(b) the day a relevant invoice is issued in respect of the transaction in pursuance of which the goods were acquired.

(2) But—

(a) different rules apply to acquisitions to which Part 4 of Schedule 9ZB applies (warehouses), and

(b) the Commissioners may by regulations provide for different rules to apply in any case described in those regulations.

(3) Regulations under sub-paragraph (2)(b) may include provision treating an acquisition as a series of acquisitions taking place at different times.

(4) In sub-paragraph (1) “relevant invoice” means an invoice of a description prescribed by regulations made by the Commissioners.

(5) For the purposes of this Act “first removal”, in relation to goods acquired, means the first removal of the goods in the course of the transaction in pursuance of which they are acquired.

Place of acquisition U.K.

5 (1) For the purposes of this Act, the normal rule for determining whether goods are acquired in Northern Ireland is that they are treated as being acquired in Northern Ireland if— U.K.

(a) they are acquired in pursuance of a transaction which involves their removal from a member State to Northern Ireland and which does not involve their removal from Northern Ireland, or

(b) they are acquired by a person who, for the purposes of their acquisition, makes use of a number assigned to the person for the purposes of VAT in the United Kingdom along with an NI VAT identifier (see paragraph 7).

(2) But—

(a) goods are not treated as being acquired in Northern Ireland by virtue of sub-paragraph (1)(b) where it is established in accordance with regulations made by the Commissioners that VAT—

(i) has been paid in a member State on the acquisition of those goods, and

(ii) fell to be paid by virtue of provisions of the law of that member State corresponding, in relation to that member State, to the provision made by sub-paragraph (1)(a), and

(b) different rules apply to acquisitions to which paragraph 16 or 17 of Schedule 9ZB applies.

(3) If an acquisition of goods is not treated, for the purposes of this Act, as taking place in Northern Ireland it is treated for those purposes as an acquisition taking place outside Northern Ireland.

(4) The Commissioners may by regulations make provision—

(a) about the circumstances in which a person is to be treated as having made use of a number assigned to the person for the purposes of VAT in the United Kingdom along with an NI VAT identifier for the purposes of the acquisition of any goods, and

(b) for the refund, in prescribed circumstances, of NI acquisition VAT paid on acquisitions of goods in relation to which the conditions in sub-paragraph (2)(a)(i) and (ii) are met.

Acquisitions from persons belonging in member States U.K.

6 (1) Sub-paragraph (2) applies where— U.K.

(a) a person (“the original supplier”) makes a supply of goods to a person who belongs in a member State (“the intermediate supplier”),

(b) that supply involves the removal of the goods from a member State and their removal to Northern Ireland but does not involve the removal of the goods from Northern Ireland,

(c) both that supply and the removal of the goods to Northern Ireland are for the purposes of the making of a supply by the intermediate supplier to another person (“the customer”) who is registered under this Act,

(d) neither of those supplies involves the removal of the goods from a member State in which the intermediate supplier is taxable at the time of the removal without also involving the previous removal of the goods to that member State, and

(e) there would be a taxable acquisition by the customer if the supply to the customer involved the removal of goods from a member State to Northern Ireland.

(2) Where this sub-paragraph applies—

(a) the supply by the original supplier to the intermediate supplier is ignored for the purposes of this Act, and

(b) the supply by the intermediate supplier to the customer is treated for the purposes of this Act, other than for the purposes of Part 8 of this Schedule, as if it did involve the removal of the goods from a member State to Northern Ireland.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, other than for the purposes of Part 8 of this Schedule, a supply of goods is treated as involving their removal from a member State to Northern Ireland, and is treated as not being a taxable supply if—

(a) the supply is made by a person belonging in a member State to a person who is registered under this Act,

(b) the supply involves the installation or assembly of the goods at a place in Northern Ireland to which they are removed, and

(c) were the supply to be treated as described in the words before paragraph (a), there would be a taxable acquisition by the registered person.

(4) But neither sub-paragraph (2) nor sub-paragraph (3) applies in relation to a supply unless—

(a) in the case of sub-paragraph (2), the intermediate supplier, or

(b) in the case of sub-paragraph (3), the person making the supply,

complies with such requirements to provide information to the Commissioners or to the person supplied as may be specified in regulations made by the Commissioners.

(5) The requirements to provide information that may be specified in regulations include—

(a) requirements to provide documents (for example, invoices);

(b) requirements to provide information or documents before a supply is made (as well as after);

(c) requirements as to the content and form of information or documents to be provided;

(d) requirements as to the manner in which information or documents are to be provided.

(6) Where a taxable acquisition is treated as having been made by virtue of this paragraph, that acquisition is treated as taking place at the time referred to in paragraph 4(1)(b) (day on which invoice issued).

(7) For the purposes of this paragraph a person belongs in a member State if—

(a) the person is taxable in a member State,

(b) the person does not have any business establishment or other fixed establishment in Northern Ireland,

(c) the person's usual place of residence is not in Northern Ireland,

(d) the person is not identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland and is not required, as a result of regulations under paragraph 7, to make a request to be so identified, and

(e) the person does not have a VAT representative who is identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland in connection with acting on the person's behalf, and is not for the time being required to appoint one who would be identified for those purposes.

(8) In determining, for the purposes of sub-paragraph (7)(d), whether a person is required to be registered under this Act, ignore any supplies made by the person that would be ignored for the purposes of this Act if the person belonged in a member State and complied with the information requirements that would apply by virtue of sub-paragraph (4).

(9) Where—

(a) any goods are acquired from a member State in a case which corresponds, in relation to another member State, to the case described in sub-paragraph (1) in relation to Northern Ireland, and

(b) the person who acquires the goods is registered under this Act, is identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland and would be the intermediate supplier in relation to that corresponding case,

the supply to that person of those goods and the supply by that person of those goods to the person who would be the customer in that corresponding case are to be ignored for the purposes of this Act.

(10) References in this paragraph to a person being taxable in a member State do not include references to a person who is so taxable by virtue only of provisions of the law of that member State corresponding to the provisions of this Act by virtue of which a person who is not registered under this Act is a taxable person if the person is required to be so registered.

Identification of persons for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland U.K.

7 (1) The Commissioners may by regulations make provision for the identification of persons for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland. U.K.

(2) In this Act “identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland” means identified in accordance with regulations under this paragraph.

(3) A person may only be identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland if—

(a) the person is registered under this Act,

[F2 (aa) the person is registered under the OSS scheme or a participant in a non-UK scheme within the meaning of Schedule 9ZD,] or

(b) the person acts on behalf of a person in relation to VAT in Northern Ireland as a VAT representative.

(4) Regulations may make provision—

(a) about the circumstances in which a person may request to be identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland;

(b) for a person to be required to request to be identified for the purposes of Northern Ireland VAT;

(c) about the circumstances in which the Commissioners may determine that a person is identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland otherwise than at the person's request;

(d) requiring a person to notify the Commissioners of such matters as may be specified for the purpose of allowing the Commissioners to ascertain whether a person should be identified for the purposes VAT in Northern Ireland;

(e) about the circumstances in which a person is to be treated, for such purposes as may be specified, as if they were identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland (and which may include circumstances where the person is neither registered under this Act nor acting as a VAT representative);

(f) about the circumstances in which a person ceases to be identified for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland.

(5) Regulations may also make provision—

(a) about a specified means of communicating the fact of a person's identification for the purposes of VAT in Northern Ireland (and that means is referred to in this Act as an “NI VAT identifier”);

(b) about the circumstances in which a person may use, or is required to use, an NI VAT identifier (for example, in connection with the making of a transaction or return).

(6) In this paragraph “specified” means specified in regulations.]

Textual Amendments

F2 Sch. 9ZA para. 7(3)(aa) inserted (1.12.2021) by The Value Added Tax (Distance Selling and Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/1165), regs. 1, 3