Academic literature on the topic 'Carousel frauds'

The aim of this contribution is to elaborate on the institute of VAT frauds, with emphasis on Carousel frauds. This document provides compact information concerning VAT fraud schemes within the European Union, problems within the EU VAT system, which was put into force in 1993 and strategises how to tackle VAT frauds as well as de lege ferenda proposals, especially in a view of the European Commission’s proposed solution on the EU’s common system of VAT. This article focuses on details of functioning of the EU VAT system, it explains relevant sections of the Slovak Penal Code Act pointing out legal issues in practise including examples of criminal conducts falling within the definitions of relevant sections of the Slovak Penal Code Act. This article demonstrates patterns of how carousel frauds are committed, how they evolved as a consequence of globalisation, economic changes, elimination of internal borders and electronic services. Authors chose the very actual topic of carousel frauds in order to reveal the commission of VAT evasions, focus on existing problems and to emphasise the need for improvement of the European Union legislation in the field of VAT frauds. The contribution aims at proposing the solution for minimising the VAT gap. The article utilises a descriptive approach to explain into detail functioning of the carousel frauds due to the fact that patterns used are complicated using a lot of companies to coved fraudulent transactions. Many times legal businesses are used to confuse law enforcement agencies as well as tax authorities of Member States when investigating commitment of VAT frauds e.g. Missing trader intra-Community fraud. In practise even courts have problems to determine which criminal offence of the Slovak Penal Code Act was committed. The article also provides in its Annex I the citations of the Slovak Penal Code Act which is beneficial to experts from Member States of the European Union to compare their jurisdiction to laws applicable in the Slovak Republic to bring the legislations closer or to subject the Slovak legislation to criticism.

Neutrality and proportionality are two features of the European VAT that often come into play when judiciary is requested to rule on alleged frauds to the tax. According to the well settled case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) the right to deduct VAT can’t be granted when such a fraudulent operation occurs. In the EN.SA. case, to the opposite, the Court rules that neutrality is to be preserved even when the operation invoiced did not actually take place, if very specific circumstances are met: namely, that no loss for the national budget occurred, that the company invoiced was not actually planning to erode its tax liability for VAT purposes and that the non-existent operation was simulated for other commercial purposes (not directly affecting the tax due). This conclusion is made possible making the principles of proportionality (and reasonableness) to prevail over a mechanical application of the tax that would otherwise prevent the right to deduct the tax charged. VAT, neutrality, proportionality, reasonableness, fraud, carousel, invoice, administrative sanction.

This paper analyses the e-voting experience of the local elections undertaken by Osh city Council in 2016. The process was introduced to ensure fair and democratic elections in Kyrgyzstan after continuous and repeated violent political uprising. The e-system, based on biometrics registration, biometric identification of voters and automated vote counting, was designed to help to avoid the most common election frauds: vote buying, carousel voting and group/family voting. The case study, mainly based on interviews, illustrates the adaptation and modernization of strategies to resist and cheat within the e-voting system. The analysis outlines three widely practised cheating strategies: procedural violations, such as avoiding cross-checking of manual and automated counting and allowing voting without biometrical identification; transformation of bribery into ‘vote auctioning’; and strengthening of kinship-based/regional support and tribal/regional identity under conditions of e-voting.

The value added tax is an important part of revenues of the European Union and its Member States. The aim of the paper is to statistically analyse the extent of positive impact of selected legislative measures introduced in the fight against tax evasion and discuss subsequently the sustainability of the current value added tax system in the European context. The analysis was conducted for the Czech and Slovak Republics, two traditionally strong trading partners, and for an important commodity, copper. In the analysis, regression methods applied to official time series data on copper export from the Czech Republic to Slovakia were employed together with appropriate statistical tests to detect potential significance of the new legislative tools, the value added tax control statement and reverse charge mechanism. Moreover, the study considers fundamental economic factors that affect foreign trade in parallel. Based on the analysis, there is sound evidence that the major historical turnaround experienced by the time series took place due to the then forthcoming legislative measures that were to restrain the possibility of carousel frauds. The results confirm the positive impact of the measures and also suggest the necessity of more systematic changes in the tax system.

There is much ado about carousel fraud, also called missing trader intra-community (MITC) fraud, in the European Union (EU). This article briefly describes carousel fraud and the proposals that have been made to combat this type of fraud. It focuses in particular on the German and Austrian solution, which defines carousel fraud away by proposing a system of comprehensive reverse charging combined with universal cross-checking. The article concludes that this solution throws the baby out with the bathwater.

The current European Union (EU) value added tax (VAT) system is a breeding ground for carousel fraud. This fraud results in tax losses of several billion euros each year. It also distorts fair competition and may lead to unexpected VAT liabilities. Carousel fraud is triggered by a flaw in the VAT regime, where the right to deduct VAT is not linked to the prior receipt of this VAT by the tax authorities. A customer can deduct VAT, even if its supplier does not pay the VAT to the tax authorities. Tax authorities may thus end up paying back VAT they never received. The author describes the development of carousel fraud and the actions EU countries and EU institutions took to counter the problem and case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). He concludes with some recommendations for changes in the current VAT regime. This article is based on the findings of the author in his thesis ‘Carousel Fraud. A European Problem from a Dutch Perspective’ (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 2010).

Opracowanie dotyczy analizy jednego z głównych przestępstw gospodarczych, jakim jest wyłudzenie podatku, oraz jego wpływu na poziom bezpieczeństwa ekonomicznego państwa. Przedstawiono problematykę przestępstwa wyłudzenia podatku oraz mechanizmów procesu wykrywczego i przeciwdziałania temu przestępczemu procederowi.

This diploma thesis is focused on the issue of chain transactions. The main aim of the thesis is to suggest the companies participating in the model chain transactions in the case study the appropriate measures leading to the optimization of tax obligations related to VAT. The measures are divided according to three criteria: tax period harmonization, tax savings in cash flow and elimination of administrative burden. The key provisions in the recast of the Sixth Directive, the VAT Act and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union are analyzed. Based on the comparison of various solutions, the most optimal procedures are assessed and the appropriate measures are recommended.

This thesis is focused on the implementation of the reverse charge mechanism on supplies of electricity and gas, which was imposed on these goods on 1st February 2016. The main aim of the thesis is to determine whether carousel frauds in our territory disappeared after the introduction of the reverse charge mechanism and to attempt to estimate the amount of tax evasion before the implementation. The other topics in the thesis include a description of principles of carousel frauds and measures adopted in order to eliminate them as well as an evaluation of the contemporary level of implementation of this mechanism in the Czech Republic and other EU countries. The analysis of foreign trade statistics has indicated a significant decrease in these figures as a consequence of a possible elimination of related carousel frauds. The estimation of the amount of tax evasion in the period of six months before the implementation achieved 1.05 billion CZK.

The subject of this thesis is an implementation of a reverse-charge mechanism on selected goods, more specifically waste and scrap, which are listed in Annex no. 5 of the Act no. 235/2004 Coll., on Value Added Tax. The reverse charge mechanism, as is evident from the title, is the transfer of VAT obligations of provider to the recipient of taxable transactions. The reverse charge mechanism is not only in the Czech Republic, but also throughout the European Union, introduced as a measure against VAT frauds. The main objective of this thesis is an analysis of the impact of the reverse-charge mechanism on waste and scrap in the Czech Republic covering the period from 1. 4. 2008 to 31. 3. 2015. This analysis is shown that the implementation of the reverse-charge mechanism eliminated fictitious deliveries of waste and scrap related to carousel frauds within trades of Czech Republic and EU 28. The estimation of tax evasion in the period from 1. 4. 2010 to 31. 3. 2011, the period just before the implementation of the reverse-charge mechanism, is in the amount of CZK 1,561,278,000.

The Master‘s thesis deals with the issue of missing VAT in carousel frauds in case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic. Partial issues are identification of missing VAT and subjects in fraudulant supply chain whose right to deduct input VAT can be denied along with question of sanctional or reparational character of denial of right to deduct input VAT. The thesis contains recommended procedure for tax payers to minimize risks related to deduction of VAT.

Taxable persons’ right to deduct input VAT is an integral part of the VAT system and may in principle not be limited. Carousel schemes deprive the Member States a great deal of tax revenue, investigations show that up to EUR 100 billion disap-pear every year. In order to stop these trading arrangements and reduce the big amount of tax revenue which disappears every year, some Member States would like to deny traders involved in carousel frauds the right to deduct the input VAT.

It exist different opinions regarding taxable persons’ ability to deduct input VAT when involved in carousel frauds. The ECJ has given judgements in three interest-ing cases dealing with the right to deduct in case of carousel fraud. In the Optigen case, it was established that taxable persons who do not know or have any reason to believe that they are involved in a carousel fraud cannot be denied the right to deduct the input VAT. In the FTI case, it was concluded that taxable persons in-volved in carousel frauds can be jointly and severally liable to pay the VAT to-gether with the person, actually liable to pay the VAT. A precondition for making a taxable person jointly and severally liable is that the taxable person has to be aware or should have been aware that the transaction made, was involved in such a scheme. If the taxable person did not know or had no reason to suspect this, he cannot be made jointly and severally liable. The ruling in the Kittel case confirms the Optigen judgement as well as concludes that when a taxable person is aware or should have been aware that he is involved in a carousel scheme, he is not enti-tled to deduct the input VAT. If this is the case, it is possible for the tax authori-ties in the different Member States to deny taxable persons this right as well as claim a refund.

These judgements clarify when the national tax authorities can deny a taxable per-son the right to deduct input VAT when the transactions are made in a chain of fraud. However, another problem occurred, it is up to the national courts to de-cide when a taxable person should be aware that he is involved in a carousel fraud. This decision shall be based upon objective factors, no guidelines or any other help as to what these objective factors should consist of have been published. This creates an interpretation gap for the national courts followed by the risk of having an outcome with different interpretations from the courts in the Member States.

Den avdragsrätt som beskattningsbara personer besitter utgör en oskiljaktig del av mervärdesskattesystemet och kan därför i princip inte inskränkas. Karusellhandel berövar medlemsstaterna på stora mängder skatteinkomster. Olika undersökning-ar visar att upp till 100 miljarder euro försvinner varje år till följd av karusellbe-drägerier. Vissa medlemsstater vill kunna neka avdragsrätt för beskattningsbara personer som är inblandade i olika typer av karusellhandel som ett försök att stoppa dessa arrangemang och för att minska de skatteintäkter som årligen förlo-ras.

Det finns olika åsikter om möjligheten att neka avdragsrätt för beskattningsbara personer involverade i karusellhandel. EG-domstolen har avkunnat domar i tre in-tressanta mål som rör avdragsrätten vid karusellhandel. I Optigen målet fastställ-des att beskattningsbara personer som inte vet eller har någon anledning att miss-tänka att de är inblandade i en karusellhandel inte kan bli nekade att dra av den in-gående mervärdesskatten. I FTI målet drogs slutsatsen att beskattningsbara per-soner involverade i karusellhandel kan bli solidariskt betalningsansvariga för sälja-rens mervärdesskatteskuld. Förutsättningen för att sådant ansvar skall kunna åläg-gas är att den beskattningsbara personen visste eller hade skälig anledning att misstänka att han var involverad i ett karusellbedrägeri. Däremot kan en beskatt-ningsbar person som inte visste eller hade skälig anledning att misstänka att han var inblandad i ett karusellbedrägeri inte åläggas solidariskt betalningsansvar. Do-men i Kittel målet bekräftar Optigen domen samtidigt som den fastställer att be-skattningsbara personer som medvetet eller som haft skälig anledning att misstän-ka att han är inblandad i ett karusellbedrägeri kan förlora avdragsrätten. Om så är fallet kan följaktligen de nationella skattemyndigheterna neka avdragsrätt för en beskattningsbar person samt kräva en återbetalning av redan utbetalad mervärdes-skatt.

Dessa domar klarlägger när de nationella skattemyndigheterna kan neka en be-skattningsbar person avdragsrätten när en transaktion är genomförd i samband med ett karusellbedrägeri. Ett annat problem uppstod dock eftersom det är upp till de nationella domstolarna att bestämma när en beskattningsbar person skall ha skälig anledning att misstänka att han är involverad i ett karusellbedrägeri. Detta beslut ska baseras på objektiva faktorer, det finns emellertid inga riktlinjer eller annan hjälp att ta till för att bestämma vad dessa objektiva faktorer skall vara. Det-ta skapar ett tolkningsproblem för de nationella domstolarna, vilket kan resultera i olika tolkningar mellan medlemsstaterna.

Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais
Sendo o IVA um dos impostos com maior peso nas receitas fiscais dos Estados-membros, a fraude carrossel surge como um problema de resolução prioritária para as Administrações fiscais. Assim, esta fraude aparece como uma das principais responsáveis pela perda de receita fiscal em sede de IVA, sendo necessário encontrar alternativas de forma a minimizá-la. Este trabalho pretende identificar as características que compõem a fraude carrossel, o impacto que esta tem na perda de receita fiscal dos Estados-membros e, em especial, o impacto da fraude em Portugal. O trabalho identifica também as medidas utilizadas e propostas para tentar pôr fim à prática de esquemas de fraude carrossel. Durante o trabalho foram analisados também os casos Optigen, Fulcrum e Bond House, com o objectivo de compreender e analisar os mecanismos que permitem praticar e processar a fraude, e a distinta apreciação quer por parte do Estado-membro, onde a fraude foi cometida, quer por parte do Tribunal Europeu.
As VAT is one of the taxes with higher importance for Member States revenue, carousel fraud, is a priority-solving problem for tax administrations. Thus, this fraud appears as a major responsible for the loss of tax revenue in the VAT, which makes it necessary to find alternatives in order to minimize it. This work aims to identify the characteristics that make this type of fraud, the impact of carousel fraud on Member States tax revenue, and in particular the impact of this fraud in Portugal. The paper also identifies the measures proposed and used to try to end the practice of carousel fraud schemes. During the righting process the Optigen, Fulcrum and Bond House cases were analyzed in order to understand the mechanisms that allow practice and prosecute fraud, and separate assessment either by the Member State where fraud was committed, either by the European Court.

The thesis deals with the issue of VAT reporting within intracommunity trade operations. The aim of the thesis is to give clear explanation of the current VAT system in the EU, show several practical examples of different intracommunity trade operations, and finally to show the scope of VAT frauds issue together with analysing the measures EU and member states have taken and are planning to take in order to fight the massive fraud. In the chapters devoted to explaining the existing VAT system in the EU following issues are described: - VAT harmonisation process in the EU, - VAT system in the EU, - Particular intracommunity transactions from the VAT point of view. In the chapters devoted to VAT fraud issue are following aspects covered: - VAT fraud typology, explanation of the most frequent fraud schemes, - EU fraud statistics and existing ways of measuring fraud volume, - European court of justice activity in solving VAT fraud cases, - EU and Czech republic measures to tackle VAT fraud, - several advices on how not to become involved in the fraud scheme.

This final thesis deals with introduction of reverse charge mechanism of value added tax. The current system of value added tax has weaknesses, including carousel fraud, negative impact on cash flow of businesses and complicated rules to collect and manage the tax. Reverse charge mechanism is considered as a solution of existing weaknesses of current system. Although this regime is able to solve the mentioned weaknesses, it also has some disadvantages. Especially, it is a negative impact on cash flow of state budget which is concretely quantified in this final thesis. Other problems of introduction of reverse charge mechanism include concentration of the whole tax with the last tax payer, issues at retail sales where tax payers and non-payers exist and minor complications in the transition to the new system. For all the negatives this thesis is trying to find solutions to eliminate or reduce them. Finally, reverse charge mechanism is compared with sales tax as reverse charge mechanism is often incorrectly equated with this type of tax.

Mervärdesskattebedrägerier inom den gemenskapsinterna handeln är idag ett utbrett problem. I och med den inre marknadens framväxt och det gemensamma mervärdesskattesystemets struktur har nya former av mervärdesskattebedrägerier uppstått. Då den inre marknaden öppnades 1993 togs den fysiska tullkontrollen bort och kvar återstod endast en administrativ kontroll. Till dess att en fullständig harmonisering kan genomföras på mervärdesskatteområdet tillämpas destinationslandsprincipen på gemenskapsintern handel mellan näringsidkare. För att undvika dubbelbeskattning har regler om gemenskapsinterna förvärv framtagits. Dessa innebär att köparen beskattas i sitt hemland och att säljaren undantas från skatteplikt i sitt hemland.

En form av mervärdesskattebedrägeri som utnyttjar mervärdesskattesystemet och bristerna i informationsutbytet mellan medlemsstaterna är karusellbedrägerier. I stora drag kan karusellbedrägerier beskrivas som transaktioner med samma varor som säljs i rask takt mellan olika företag i olika länder. I samband med dessa försäljningar betalar något eller några av företagen inte in utgående mervärdesskatt, samtidigt som andra företag i kedjan har rätt till avdrag för ingående mervärdesskatt. Staten förlorar därmed mervärdesskatteintäkter. Karusellbedrägerier har behandlats i rättspraxis. I Optigen-domen fastställs att avdragsrätten för en part i god tro inte påverkas av bedrägligt beteende i tidigare eller senare led i transaktionskedjan. I Kittel-domen stadgas att en skattskyldig person som kände till eller borde ha känt till att dennes transaktion ingick i ett mervärdesskattebedrägeri skall anses vara medgärningsman och därmed vägras avdragsrätt.

I uppsatsen utreds huruvida principen om förbud mot förfarandemissbruk kan vara tillämplig på karusellbedrägerier. Principen om förbud mot förfarandemissbruk har utvecklats för att angripa konstruerade transaktioner vars enda syfte är att genom missbruk av gemenskapslagstiftningen erhålla förmåner. I Halifax-domen fastslås att denna princip är tillämpbar på mervärdesskatteområdet. Vår slutsats är att principen om förbud mot förfarandemissbruk inte kan tillämpas på någon part i ett karusellbedrägeri. Vi anser att varken en part i god tro eller en part i ond tro angående bedrägeriet kan uppfylla kriterierna för principen. Det finns olika tillvägagångssätt för att angripa karusellbedrägerier. Inom EG används främst informationsutbyte som strategi för bedrägeribekämpning. Organisationer såsom SCAF och OLAF har också betydelse för bekämpningen. Även medlemsstaterna har på olika sätt försökt bekämpa bedrägerierna. De har bland annat använt sig av omvänd skattskyldighet och solidariskt betalningsansvar. Vi anser att de administrativa åtgärderna är avgörande för bekämpning av karusellbedrägerier. De mer genomgripande alternativen, såsom omvänd skattskyldighet och solidariskt betalningsansvar, bör endast användas då det är uppenbart att de administrativa åtgärderna inte räcker till.

Today, VAT fraud is a widely spread problem among intra-Community trade. Due to the growth of the common market and the structure of the harmonized VAT system, new forms of VAT fraud have arisen. The opening of the common market, in 1993, led to the abolition of physical border controls. The combination of physical and administrative controls was replaced by only administrative control.

Until the VAT system is completely harmonized the principle of destination will be applied to intra-Community business-to-business transactions. Regulations on intra-Community transactions have been developed to avoid double taxation. These regulations mean that the purchaser will be taxed in its state of origin, and that the seller will be exempted from taxation in its state of origin.

Carousel fraud is a form of VAT fraud that makes use of the VAT system and the lack of exchange of information between the member states. In general terms VAT fraud can be described as transactions with the same goods that are being sold at high speed between different companies in different countries. In connection to these sales one or more of the companies do not pay the output VAT, at the same time other companies in the chain of supply have the right to deduct input VAT. Due to this, the state will loose VAT revenues. Carousel fraud has been dealt with in EC case law. It is established in the Optigen judgment that the right, of a taxable person, to deduct input VAT cannot be affected by any other taxable person’s fraudulent behavior in the chain of supply as long as the taxable person did not know or have any means of knowledge of the fraud in question. The Kittel judgment states that a taxable person, who knew or should have known that, by his purchase, he was participating in a transaction of VAT fraud, should be seen as a participant in that fraud and therefore be refused entitlement to the right to deduct.

This thesis examines whether the principle of prohibiting abusive practice is applicable to carousel fraud. The Halifax judgment states that the principle also applies to the sphere of VAT. The principle of prohibiting abusive practice has been developed to attack transactions of purely artificial nature, which only purpose is to obtain advantages by abusing the Community law. However, our conclusion is that the principle of prohibiting abusive practice cannot be applied to anyone in a chain of transactions that constitutes carousel fraud. Our opinion is that neither a taxable person in god faith nor a taxable person in bad faith can meet the criteria of the principle.

There are different ways to approach carousel fraud. Within the EC, exchange of information and various organisations for anti fraud are being used to deal with the problem. The member states have also, in various ways, tried to handle carousel fraud. They have for example used reverse charge and joint liability. We believe that administrative measures are crucial to combat carousel fraud. More radical alternatives such as reverse charge and joint liability should not be used unless it is obvious that the administrative measures do not suffice.

The main aim of the dissertation thesis is a case of the right deduct to input VAT which let companies to be involved into carousel frauds. The thesis analyses the related cases and examines in which conditions it may be legitimate to entitle the right to deduct recognize and when it is not. It also discusses the possible ways how to deal safely with partners. Moreover, it also examines which steps need to be taken into the consideration to reduce tax evasion on VAT which have been done recently in the Czech Republic.