On Fri, 2013-07-05 at 00:11 -0400, Noel Chiappa wrote: > > From: "John Levine" <johnl@xxxxxxxxx> > > > what's different in Berlin from Paris and Prague and Maastricht. > > The Germans have more 'zealous' tax collectors? :-) > > Noel It appears that the goalposts have been moved - the basic change came in a couple of years ago: http://www.uktrainingworldwide.com/BB/vat-rules-for-events-and-seminars.html but the proximal cause may be to do with an update from last September (and this was instigated in Germany): See page 159 of http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/taxation/vat/key_documents/vat_committee/2012_guidelines-vat-committee-meetings_en.pdf This is probably ultimately down to the tightening of the inter-country trading rules after the clampdown on so-called carousel trading. But with the arcana of VAT rules ... who knows (certainly not me although I have tangled with a few of them)? Doubtless clearing this up will require a confrontation of tax lawyer and VAT officer at dawn in some shady forest glade. /Elwyn