The necessity to introduce "place of supply" rules from a VAT perspective for telecommunication services in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa’s VAT legislation has specific value and time of supply rules. It does not have a specific section for place of supply rules, but this is however incorporated within the various sections of the Act. Still, there is sometimes uncertainty regarding what the place of supply would be, especially when it comes to telecommunication services across borders. Some foreign countries, like European countries, have specific place of supply rules. However, South Africa does not specify where the specific place of supply of telecommunication services should be. International roaming complicates matters as a South African resident can visit a foreign country and make calls from the foreign country to yet another country, but is then billed in South Africa at a rate including VAT at 14%. One could argue that this is not the correct treatment as it could be deemed an export of services, which would generally be zero-rated. During the interviews it was discovered that the foreign network operator billed the South African network operator for the services rendered to the South African operator’s customer in the foreign country. Some operators levy VAT on this charge at that country’s VAT rate, whereas other countries’ operators will levy at a rate of zero percent. However, the South African resident is levied at a charge including VAT at 14%, regardless of whether the operator was charged VAT by the foreign operator or not. Costs of international roaming are already high and, therefore, international roaming can become very expensive for customers. The researcher suggests that the agreement be revisited and that VAT is only charged in the country where the consumption of the supplies takes place, or in the case of a service, where the service is utilized. It is however much more complex with telecommunication services as there are various networks that go through numerous countries, and can include the customer’s home country. AFRIKAANS : Suid-Afrika se BTW-wetgewing het reëls wat spesifieke waarde en tyd van lewering bepaal. Hoewel dit nie 'n spesifieke artikel het met reëls wat handel oor die plek van lewering nie, is dit egter in die verskillende artikels van die wet geïnkorporeer. Tog is daar soms onsekerheid oor waar die plek van lewering is, veral wanneer dit telekommunikasiedienste raak wat oor grense verskaf word. Sommige lande, byvoorbeeld Europese lande, het spesifieke reëls wat plek van lewering bepaal. Suid-Afrika spesifiseer egter nie die spesifieke plek van lewering van telekommunikasiedienste nie. Internasionale selfoon swerwery kompliseer sake omdat 'n Suid-Afrikaanse inwoner die buiteland kan besoek en oproepe van daar na nog 'n ander land maak, maar steeds in Suid-Afrika gefaktureer word teen 'n koers insluitend BTW teen 14%.’n Mens kan argumenteer dat dit nie die regte hantering is nie omdat dit 'n uitvoer van dienste geag kan word, wat gewoonlik genulkoers word. Daar is tydens die onderhoude ontdek dat die buitelandse netwerk-operateur die Suid- Afrikaanse netwerk-operateur faktureer vir die dienste aan die Suid-Afrikaanse operateur se kliënte in die buiteland. Sommige operateurs hef BTW op hierdie koste teen die koers van daardie land se BTW, terwyl ander lande se operateurs teen 'n koers van nul persent sal hef. Die Suid-Afrikaanse inwoner word egter teen ‘n koste insluitend BTW van 14% gefaktureer, ongeag of die operateur deur die buitelandse operateur teen ’n koste insluitend BTW van 0% of ‘n ander persentasie gefaktureer is. Koste van internasionale selfoon swerwery word gehef in die land waar die voorrade gebruik word, of in die geval van 'n diens, waar die diens gebruik word. Die koste kan baie hoog wees. Dit is egter baie meer kompleks met telekommunikasiedienste omdat daar verskeie netwerke is wat deur talle lande kan gaan. Dit kan moontlik in die kliënt se land van herkoms ook wees.