VAT GAP Report 2018

EU Member States still losing almost €150 billion in revenues according to new figures

EU countries lost almost €150 billion in Value-Added Tax (VAT) revenues in 2016, according to a new study published today by the European Commission.

The so-called 'VAT Gap' shows the difference between the expected VAT revenue and the amount actually collected.

In nominal terms, the VAT Gap decreased by €10.5 billion to €147.1 billion in 2016, a drop to 12.3% of total VAT revenues compared to 13.2% the year before. The individual performance of the Member States still varies significantly. The VAT Gap decreased in 22 Member States with Bulgaria, Latvia, Cyprus, and the Netherlands displaying strong performances, with a decrease in each case of more than 5 percentage points in VAT losses. However, the VAT Gap did increase in six Member States: Romania, Finland, the UK, Ireland, Estonia, and France.

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