France To Introduce VAT Requirements For Online Marketplaces

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

27 September 2019

On September 23, 2019, the French Government outlined a number of measures that will be included in the 2020 Finance Law to ensure the payment of value-added tax on items bought by French residents from online marketplaces.

Under the proposals, announced by Minister of Public Accounts Gerald Darmanin during a visit to an Amazon delivery facility near Paris, online marketplaces facilitating sales between third-party sellers and buyers in France will be liable for VAT on these purchases from 2021.

The reforms will also see the creation of a blacklist of online platforms that fail to comply with certain tax and reporting requirements.

In an additional measure, logistics warehouses will be required to keep a record of the origin and destination of packages, and the amount of VAT due, for a period of 10 years.

The measures will also be accompanied by simplification measures to ensure widespread compliance with the changes, Darmanin said.

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