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A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared with, a sales tax.
VAT is an indirect tax because the tax is paid to the government by the seller (the business) rather than the person who ultimately bears the economic burden of the tax (the consumer). [4] Opponents of VAT claim it is a regressive tax because the poorest people spend a higher proportion of their disposable income on VAT than the richest people. [5]
VAT is generally charged at the border, at the same time as customs duty and uses the price determined by customs. [24] However, as a result of EU administrative VAT relief, an exception called Low Value Consignment Relief is allowed on low-value shipments. VAT paid on importation is treated as input VAT in the same way as domestic purchases.
The VAT is structured as an all-phase tax with input tax deduction. Since 1 January 2024 [ 1 ] the rates are 8.1% standard rate, 2.6% reduced rate and 3.8% special rate for lodging services. With the exception of the mail order provision ( Art. 7 Para. 3 Let. b VAT Act ), the partially revised Value Added Tax Act (VAT Act) and the partially ...
A business is generally able to recover input VAT to the extent that the input VAT is attributable to (that is, used to make) its taxable outputs. Input VAT is recovered by setting it against the output VAT for which the business is required to account to the government, or, if there is an excess, by claiming a repayment from the government.
The usual operation of VAT is as follows: a business that buys and sells goods charges VAT to those to whom it sells ('output tax'), and is charged VAT by those from whom it purchases ('input tax'). It can reclaim (subject to various rules) the VAT it pays, and so passes to the government the net VAT it collects (being output tax less input tax).
Some goods and services (notably salaries, wages, fresh food, and real estate) are exempt from GST. Other goods and services (rental income and financial services) are "input-taxed", which means that GST is not charged on the sale, but GST paid by that part of the business is not eligible to be claimed as an input tax credit. [13]
In economics, zero-rated supply refers to items subject to a 0% VAT tax on their input supplies. The term is applied to items that would normally be taxed under valued-added systems such as Europe's Value Added Tax (VAT) or Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST). Examples of these items include most exports, basic groceries, and prescription drugs.