European Council Adopts Directive Making 15% Minimum Standard VAT Rate Permanent

On 22 June 2018, the Council of the European Union adopted a Council Directive amending the EU VAT Directive (Directive 2006/112/EC) to make permanent the 15% minimum standard VAT rate. The 15% minimum standard rate has applied as a temporary provision of the VAT Directive since VAT rules for the EU single market were first applied in 1993, with multiple extensions over the years. The Directive making the 15% rate permanent will enter into force 20 days after it is published in the Official …