Taxpayers may be asked to pay the VAT shortfall that ‘Golden Passport’ traders and other dwelling buyers who paid out the reduced VAT charge of 5% but who need to have compensated the total VAT of 19% on their home invest in.

Cyprus’ conclusion to violate EU Directive 2006/112/EC by implementing a lowered VAT amount of 5% on the initial 200 square metres of all dwellings purchased as principal and long-lasting residences has acquired it into very hot water with the European Union.

The Directive lists the provides of products and services to which member states could apply diminished rates, just one of which is the “provision, construction, renovation and alteration of housing, as portion of a social plan.”

But in Cyprus, the lessened amount is used irrespective of the cash flow, assets and economic scenario of the beneficiary, the members of the family that will reside in the dwellings, and the maximum whole area of the dwellings involved.

In July 2021, the European Fee despatched a letter of formal discover to Cyprus for its failure to properly apply EU VAT procedures for dwellings, giving Cyprus two months to get “appropriate steps.”

The pitfalls and implications of Cyprus violating EU Directive 2006/112/EC had been identified in 2020. In October that yr, the Auditor Common warned that Cypriot taxpayers would be required to protect the VAT saved by investors who purchased passports by the disgraced ‘Golden Passport’ plan by buying expensive residences, revealing that the regulation handed by parliament in 2015 was applied in these a way that buyers would also fork out VAT at the diminished level. (In Oct 2021, the European Fee sent a letter of formal notice to Cyprus with regards to its ‘Golden Passport” plan proceedings are ongoing.)

The inspector of taxes in 2020, Giannis Tsagaris, said that if the European directive concerning VAT for the acquisition of housing is utilized improperly, Cyprus will be asked to shell out missing money from have resources, to cover the change concerning decreased and ordinary VAT fee saved by investors.

Based mostly on information readily available in 2020 buyers paid €125 million in VAT while at the normal amount of 19%, they would have paid out 4 occasions the amount, leaving normal taxpayers to pay out the €375 million deficit.