The postal sector is a major contributor to, and facilitator of trade within the European Union and globally. The postal network is an open-access channel and a vital facilitator of trade linking public administrations, businesses and consumers as well as enabling small business enterprises and social customers to access efficient communications and ecommerce services on a global scale.
Efficient and effective postal services are essential to the social fabric and economic life of the European Union, and as a Service of General Economic Interest (SGEI), plays an important social function: postal operators are there to provide a quality, accessible and affordable universal postal service to all, as defined not only in the European Postal Services Directive, but also as signatories to the Universal Postal Union Treaty to which all countries, including EU Member States, are members.
The members of PostEurop appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the thinking on, and the development of a modernised VAT mechanism which is designed to implement changes in the way customers and business apply the rules within the European Union.
We welcome the drive to make the application of VAT simpler, and at the same time reduce the administrative burden on businesses and suppliers, which, according to our view, should not be done at the expense of consumers and / or intermediaries.
Therefore, we support the Commission’s consultation process on “VAT in the digital age”1: PostEurop is prepared to play an active role in this reform, not only by replying to the public consultation, but also as an active contributor to the subsequent stages.
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