EU VAT Sales Lists

[bernie23]

We're a small consultancy partnership doing some low invoice value work with Spain. We're well below VAT registration threshold.

Our Spanish customers are requesting our VAT number before they will pay us. The company that did pay has been fined for not supplying our number. Does anyone dealing with the EU now have to register for VAT? I have done some research and come across the point of supply reverse charges info but can find nothing relating to a non-VAT registered organisation such as ours supplying a VAT registered one. HMRC have not been contactable!

We do not supply goods only services.

Any signposting for further info would be welcome.

Thanks

 

[boogs]

You don't have to apply but might be forced to if you intend to do further work for other EU businesses. Some of our clients have had this problem in the past.

The big problem is that it appears we are just about the only country in the EU which has a turnover threshold before you have to register. Everywhere else the day you register your business you automatically get issued with a VAT number.

What should be happening is that our government and our Euro MPs should be educating the other EU member states that simply because a UK business doesn't have a VAT number doesn't mean it is not legitimate. That won't happen of course because they are all far too busy filing in their expense claims.

 

[bernie23]

Thanks for that - I suspected that would be the case. Looks as though we'll have to apply because we have small invoices outstanding and more down the track.

Oh the joys of 'simplified' bureaucracy!

B