How to Manage Value-Added Tax Refunds
IMF How To Notes, May 10, 2021
Source details
- Canonical URL
- How to Manage Value-Added Tax Refunds
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: Mario Pessoa, Andrew Okello, Artur Swistak, Muyangwa Muyangwa, Virginia Alonso-Albarran, Vincent de Paul Koukpaizan
- Published: May 10, 2021
- Series: IMF How To Notes
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513577043.061
Summary and purpose
- The value-added tax (VAT) has the potential to generate significant government revenue.
- Many tax administrations find it challenging to refund excess input credits, which is critical to a well-functioning VAT system.
- Improperly functioning VAT refund practices can have profound implications for fiscal policy and management, including inaccurate deficit measurement, spending overruns, poor budget credibility, impaired treasury operations, and arrears accumulation.
- This note addresses: (1) What are VAT refunds and why should they be managed properly? (2) What practices should be put in place (in tax policy, tax administration, budget and treasury management, debt, and fiscal statistics) to help manage key aspects of VAT refunds?
Key risks and implications of poor VAT refund management
- Inaccurate deficit measurement.
- Spending overruns.
- Poor budget credibility.
- Impaired treasury operations.
- Accumulation of arrears.
Core recommendations and practices to manage VAT refunds
- Tax policy
- Design policies that minimize refund exposure while preserving the VAT’s neutrality.
- Tax administration
- Equip the tax administration with strategies, processes, and abilities needed to identify VAT refund fraud.
- Ensure the tax administration is prepared to act quickly to combat fraud/schemes.
- Budget and treasury management
- Integrate refund liabilities into budget processes to avoid spending overruns and maintain credibility.
- Debt and fiscal statistics
- Ensure refund obligations are appropriately reflected in debt and fiscal statistics to support accurate deficit measurement and transparency.
Credibility of the refund mechanism
- For a refund mechanism to be credible, the tax administration must:
- Be equipped with strategies, processes, and abilities to identify VAT refund fraud.
- Be prepared to act quickly to combat detected fraud/schemes.
Source: IMF — How to Manage Value-Added Tax Refunds (May 10, 2021), https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fiscal-affairs-department-how-to-notes/issues/2021/05/10/how-to-manage-value-added-tax-refunds-50357
Content in this bundle
- How to Manage Value-Added Tax Refunds; How to Note 21/04; May 7, 2021