European Union vat: Commission has published a proposal to change the eu VAT Directive

The European Commission has published a proposal to change the VAT Directive to allow EU Member States to use the "reverse charge" mechanism more widely to counter more "missing trader" fraud.

If approved by the Member States, the Commission's proposal would see changes to the EU VAT Directive to allow the reverse charge to apply until 31 December 2014 to supplies of mobile phones, computer chips, perfume, certain supplies of precious metals and trading in greenhouse gas allowances.