Modernising Ireland's administration of Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Real-time digital reporting and electronic invoicing

Note

This Consultation is now closed and the responses are being reviewed. However, businesses can still write to us by emailing vatmodernisation@revenue.ie.

On 10 October 2023, Minister McGrath announced in his Budget Day speech that Revenue would launch a Public Consultation. This Public Consultation focuses on how we can use digital advances to modernise Ireland’s VAT Invoicing and Reporting System. This initial consultation covers the reform of Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G) VAT reporting, supported by eInvoicing.

Modernising Ireland’s domestic VAT Reporting system will make it easier and more seamless for businesses to comply with their VAT reporting obligations. Revenue is interested in the views of our stakeholders on the development of a new system of digital real-time VAT Reporting in conjunction with mandatory eInvoicing. Our stakeholders include businesses, accounting software providers, eInvoicing providers, tax practitioners, accounting firms, bookkeepers, business and industry representative bodies, and all other interested parties.

This Public Consultation process will run from 13 October 2023 to 31 January 2024. 

The Consultation paper provides further context on why we are undertaking this consultation.

The Consultation questions include two Sections, A and B.

Section A - General consultation questions

The questions in Section A ask for your views on real-time digital VAT reporting and eInvoicing. The views of all respondents are sought and encouraged. These questions are not exhaustive and your views are welcome on any additional themes that you consider relevant. Please set out the reasons for your views and provide any evidence which you consider relevant.

Alternatively, if you do not wish to complete the online text boxes in Section A, you can submit your responses in a document which you can email or post to us.

Responses and submissions to the consultation questions presented in Section A of this consultation are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014, Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations 2007-2018 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The contents of all submissions received in response to the consultation questions in Section A will be published on Revenue’s website. All personal data will be redacted prior to publication. In responding to Section A questions, you should clearly indicate where your responses contain personal information, commercially sensitive information or confidential information.

Section B – Business context

We are encouraging business taxpayers to tell us about your business in Section B. This will help us to understand the context for your responses in Section A and fully appreciate what is important to you for your business model.

Your taxpayer-specific replies in Section B will be treated in strictest confidence and will not be subject to release under Freedom of Information legislation. Furthermore, Section 851A Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997) formalises taxpayer confidentiality and reassures taxpayers that their personal and commercial information disclosed to Revenue is protected against unauthorised disclosure by Revenue to third parties. Your answers may be anonymised and aggregated for the purposes of analysing your comments.

If you are responding to the consultation in any capacity other than as a taxpayer, for example, as an advisor or representative body, then you do not need to complete the questions in Section B. Instead, just provide some context about your organisation and the capacity in which you are contributing to this consultation.

How to submit your contribution

You can submit your responses to the Consultation by completing the questions at the link above.

Alternatively, if you do not wish to use the online link, you can respond to the questions by email to vatmodernisation@revenue.ie.

You can also respond by post to:

VAT Modernisation Branch
Indirect Taxes Policy & Legislation Division
Revenue Commissioners
Dublin Castle
Dublin 2
D02 HW86.

Please include your contact details if you are responding by post.

Next steps

Revenue will analyse all responses to this Public Consultation and further targeted stakeholder engagement will occur in late 2023 and into 2024.