On 4 March 2021, the CJEU issued a ruling on Frenetikexito (Case C-581/19) that is bound to throw Portuguese gym-goers off-balance. For some time, the Portuguese tax authorities have been assessing VAT on nutrition counselling provided by fitness studios on the basis such services are dependent and ancillary to fitness training. In a series of…

The classification of transactions comprising several elements, features, and acts[1] is a complicated and prominent issue in the EU’s common system of VAT. It is also a popular topic for discussion and analysis which is often explored in the literature. The purpose of this post is to contribute to that discussion by presenting certain perspectives…

VAT is a broad-based tax on final consumption by households. Even if, due to the invoice-credit mechanism through which the tax is normally levied, only final consumption is ultimately targeted, VAT uses each transaction taking place at every stage of the production and distribution process as taxing points. Depending on how a transaction is classified,…