B2B reverse charge withdrawn on digital services 2023
Non-resident providers of digital services in the Central Asian state of Azerbaijan will no longer be able to rely on the reverse charge on B2B transactions. The amendment will come into effect from 1 January 2023.
Few other countries require foreign providers to charge VAT and register for B2B-only sales. One example is Russia.
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The Azerbaijan Ministry of Economy State Tax Service introduced Value Added Tax liabilities on non-resident providers of digital services to consumers on 1 January 2017. Currently, there is not an obligation to VAT register as the government has opted to use a VAT Withholding Tax.
Payment providers Withholding VAT
Azerbaijan has imposed a Withholding VAT on individuals’ payments of the tax element of payments made to non-resident providers.
The current VAT rate in Azerbaijan is 18%, and must be split from the payment via payment providers. This includes credit card merchants, banks, payment e-wallets and others. This excludes payments for hotels and aeroplane bookings.
What e-services are liable to VAT in Azerbaijan?
Income from the following services is liable to VAT at 18%
- Telecoms data and voice
- TV and radio broadcasting
- Gaming and games of chance
- E-learning
- Apps
- SaaS or cloud-based software
- Streaming or download software
- Online storage
- Advertising
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Asia Pacific VAT on digital services
| Comments (click for details) | Rate | Date | Threshold | Comments |
| Australia | 10% | Jul 2017 | AUD $75,000 | |
| Azerbaijan | 12% | Jan 2017 | – | |
| Armenia | 20% | Jan 2022 | AMD 115million | |
| Bangladesh | 5% - 15% | Jul 2019 | – | B2B and B2C |
| Bhutan | 7% | Jul 2021 | Nu 5million | |
| Cambodia | 10% | Mar 2022 | KHR 250m | |
| China | 6%-13% | N/a | Nil | Withholding VAT; B2B and B2C |
| Cook Island | 15% | 2019 | NZ$ 40,000 | |
| Fiji | 9% | TBC | FJD 300,000 | |
| India | 18% | Jul 2017 | - | |
| Indonesia | 11% | Aug 2020 | IDR600m or 12k customers | |
| Japan | 10% | Oct 2015 | JPY 10 million | |
| Kazakhstan | 12% | Jan 2022 | Nil | |
| Kiribati | 12.5% | 2017 | AU$ 100,000 | |
| Kyrgyzstan | 12% | Jan 2022 | Nil | |
| Laos | 10% | Feb 2022 | LAK 400m | |
| Malaysia | 8% | Jan 2020 | RM500,000 | |
| Nepal | 13% | Jul 2022 | Rupees 2m | Also 2% DST |
| New Caledonia | 11% | 2020 | XPF 7.5 million | |
| New Zealand | 15% | Oct 2016 | NZD 60,000 | |
| Pakistan | 2% | Sep 2021 | Nil | Marketplace Withholding VAT |
| Palau | 10% | Jan 2023 | $300,000 | |
| Philippines | 12% | May 2025 | P 3million | |
| Singapore | 9% | Jan 2020 | S$ 100,000 | |
| South Korea | 10% | Jul 2015 | Nil | |
| Sri Lanka | 18% | 2025? | LKR 60m | Proposals only |
| Taiwan | 5% | May 2017 | NTD 480,000 | |
| Tajikistan | 14% | Jan 2021 | ||
| Thailand | 7% | Sep 2021 | 1.8m Baht | |
| Uzbekistan | 12% | Jan 2020 | Nil | |
| Vietnam | 10% | Dec 2020 | – |
