You’ll save paper but not VAT after 1 April.

I’ve just come back from a short trip to the States. Whilst in most European countries VAT is taken for granted, in the US there is considerable debate over whether a VAT system should be established.

Although there is no VAT in the US at the moment, there are in fact sales taxes present in a number of states. What is interesting is that in some shops the sales tax is shown on the price of the goods on display whilst in others the sales price is not shown on the display but instead is added at the checkout. Studies have shown that in the US people are less likely to purchase a product if the sales tax is shown on the displayed price rather than added at the checkout.

However, whilst this is interesting every good student of ACCA or CIMA knows that the price shown in the UK on business to business transactions is net of VAT (i.e. VAT exclusive – excluding VAT) whilst goods for sale to the public are generally shown gross of VAT (i.e. VAT inclusive – including VAT).

On the subject of VAT in the UK, there was a recent change announced to the VAT filing system. In an attempt to reduce the level of filing of paper VAT returns, from April 2010 all businesses with an annual turnover of £100,000 or more will have to file VAT returns electronically and also pay VAT online. In addition, any  business registering for VAT on or after 1 April 2010 will also have to file and pay online.

From an environmental point of view this is good news as the amount of paper that is used for paper return completion and submission is huge.

So, is the paperless office coming closer?