VATSM5225 - Simplifications: triangulation: UK primary law

Section 14, VAT Act 1994

(1) Subject to subsection (3) below, where—

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

(b)that supply involves the removal of the goods from another member State and their removal to the United Kingdom but does not involve the removal of the goods from the United Kingdom;

(c)both that supply and the removal of the goods to the United Kingdom 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 him involved the removal of goods from another member State to the United Kingdom,

the supply by the original supplier to the intermediate supplier shall be disregarded for the purposes of this Act and the supply by the intermediate supplier to the customer shall be treated for the purposes of this Act, other than Schedule 3, as if it did involve the removal of the goods from another member State to the United Kingdom.

(2) ……

(3) Neither subsection (1) nor subsection (2) above shall apply in relation to any supply unless the intermediate supplier or, as the case may be, the person making the supply complies with such requirements as to the furnishing (whether before or after the supply is made) of invoices and other documents, and of information, to—

(a)the Commissioners, and

(b)the person supplied,

as the Commissioners may by regulations prescribe; and regulations under this subsection may provide for the times at which, and the form and manner in which, any document or information is to be furnished and for the particulars which it is to contain.

(4) Where this section has the effect of treating a taxable acquisition as having been made, section 12(1) shall apply in relation to that acquisition with the omission of the words from “whichever” to “acquisition; and” at the end of paragraph (a).

(5) For the purposes of this section a person belongs in another member State if—

(a)he does not have any business establishment or other fixed establishment in the United Kingdom and does not have his usual place of residence in the United Kingdom;

(b)he is neither registered under this Act nor required to be so registered;

(c)he does not have a VAT representative and is not for the time being required to appoint one; and

(d)he is taxable in another member State;

but, in determining for the purposes of paragraph (b) above whether a person is required to be registered under this Act, there shall be disregarded any supplies which, if he did belong in another member State and complied with the requirements prescribed under subsection (3) above, would fall to be disregarded by virtue of this section.

(6) Without prejudice to section 13(4), where—

(a)any goods are acquired from another member State in a case which corresponds, in relation to another member State, to the case specified in relation to the United Kingdom in subsection (1) above; and

(b)the person who acquires the goods is registered under this Act and would be the intermediate supplier in relation to that corresponding case,

the supply to him of those goods and the supply by him of those goods to the person who would be the customer in that corresponding case shall both be disregarded for the purposes of this Act, other than the purposes of the information provisions referred to in section 92(7).

(7) References in this section to a person being taxable in another member State shall not include references to a person who is so taxable by virtue only of provisions of the law of another 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 he is required to be so registered.

(8) This section does not apply in relation to any supply of goods by an intermediate supplier to whom the goods were supplied before 1st August 1993.