The Queen, on the application of Teleos plc and Others v Commissioners of Customs & Excise.

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• Celex Number: 62004CJ0409
• ECLI: ECLI:EU:C:2007:548
• Docket Number: C-409/04
• Date: 27 September 2007
• Court: Court of Justice (European Union)
• Procedure Type: Reference for a preliminary ruling

Case C-409/04

The Queen, on the application of:

Teleos plc and Others

v

Commissioners of Customs & Excise

(Reference for a preliminary ruling from the

High Court of Justice of England and Wales, Queen’s Bench Division)

(Sixth VAT Directive – First subparagraph of Article 28a(3) and first subparagraph of Article 28c(A)(a) – Intra-Community acquisition – Intra‑Community supply – Exemption – Goods dispatched or transported to another Member State – Evidence – National measures to combat fraud)

Opinion of Advocate General Kokott delivered on 11 January 2007

Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber), 27 September 2007

Summary of the Judgment

1. Tax provisions – Harmonisation of laws – Turnover taxes – Common system of value added tax – Transitional arrangements for the taxation of trade between Member States

(Council Directive 77/388, Arts 28a(3), first subpara., and 28c(A)(a), first subpara.)

2. Tax provisions – Harmonisation of laws – Turnover taxes – Common system of value added tax – Transitional arrangements for the taxation of trade between Member States

(Council Directive 77/388, Art. 28c(A)(a), first subpara.)

3. Tax provisions – Harmonisation of laws – Turnover taxes – Common system of value added tax – Transitional arrangements for the taxation of trade between Member States

(Council Directive 77/388, Art. 28c(A)(a), first subpara.)

1. The first subparagraph of Article 28a(3) and the first subparagraph of Article 28c(A)(a) of the Sixth Directive 77/388 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover taxes, as amended by Directive 2000/65, are, having regard to the term ‘dispatched’ in those two provisions, to be interpreted as meaning that the intra-Community acquisition of goods is effected and the exemption of the intra-Community supply of goods becomes applicable only when the right to dispose of the goods as owner has been transferred to the purchaser and the supplier establishes that those goods have been dispatched or transported to another Member State and that, as a result of that dispatch or that transport, they have physically left the territory of the Member State of supply.

The precondition for applying the transitional arrangements under Title XVIa of the Sixth Directive is the intra-Community nature of a transaction and, in particular, the physical movement of goods from one Member State to another. That condition relating to the crossing of frontiers between the Member States is a necessary element of an intra-Community transaction which distinguishes it from that which occurs within a country.

Furthermore, just like other expressions which define taxable transactions for the purposes of the Sixth Directive, the meanings of ‘intra-Community supply’ and ‘intra-Community acquisition’ are objective in nature and apply without regard to the purpose or results of the transactions concerned. Consequently, it is necessary that the classification of intra-Community supplies and acquisitions be made on the basis of objective matters, such as the physical movement of the goods concerned between Member States.

(see paras 37-38, 40, 42, operative part 1)

2. The first subparagraph of Article 28c(A)(a) of the Sixth Directive 77/388, as amended by Directive 2000/65, is to be interpreted as precluding the competent authorities of the Member State of supply from requiring a supplier, who acted in good faith and submitted evidence establishing, at first sight, his right to the exemption of an intra-Community supply of goods, subsequently to account for value added tax on those goods where that evidence is found to be false, without, however, the supplier’s involvement in the tax evasion being established, provided that the supplier took every reasonable measure in his power to ensure that the intra-Community supply he was effecting did not lead to his participation in such evasion.

In the first place, it would be contrary to the principle of legal certainty if a Member State which has laid down the conditions for the application of the exemption of intra-Community supplies by prescribing, among other things, a list of the documents to be presented to the competent authorities, and which has accepted, initially, the documents presented by the supplier as evidence establishing entitlement to the exemption, could subsequently require that supplier to account for the VAT on that supply, where it transpires that, because of the purchaser’s fraud, of which the supplier had and could have had no knowledge, the goods concerned did not actually leave the territory of the Member State of supply.

Secondly, any sharing of the risk between the supplier and the tax authorities, following fraud committed by a third party, must be compatible with the principle of proportionality. Furthermore, rather than preventing tax evasion, a regime imposing the entire responsibility for the payment of VAT on suppliers, regardless of whether or not they were involved in the fraud, does not necessarily safeguard the harmonised VAT system from evasion and abuse by purchasers. The latter, were they exempted from all responsibility, could, in effect, be encouraged not to dispatch or not to transport the goods out of the Member State of supply and not to declare the goods for VAT purposes in the envisaged Member States of destination.

Thirdly, if suppliers were themselves required to account for the VAT after the event, that principle would be infringed, since suppliers who effect transactions within a country are never liable to pay output tax, given that it is an indirect tax on consumption. Therefore, taxable persons effecting an intra-Community transaction would be in a less advantageous position than that of taxable persons effecting an internal transaction.

Fourthly, according to case-law of the Court applicable by way of analogy, it would not be contrary to Community law to require the supplier to take every step which could reasonably be required of him to satisfy himself that the transaction which he is effecting does not result in his participation in tax evasion. Accordingly, the fact that the supplier acted in good faith, that he took every reasonable measure in his power and that his participation in fraud is excluded are important points in deciding whether that supplier can be obliged to account for the VAT after the event. By contrast, once the supplier has fulfilled his obligations relating to evidence of an intra-Community supply, where the contractual obligation to dispatch or transport the goods out of the Member State of supply has not been satisfied by the purchaser, it is the latter who should be held liable for the VAT in that Member State.

(see paras 50, 58, 60, 65-67, operative part 2)

3. The fact that the purchaser made a declaration concerning intra-Community acquisition to the tax authorities of the Member State of destination may constitute additional evidence tending to establish that the goods have actually left the territory of the Member State of supply, but it does not constitute conclusive proof for the purposes of the exemption from value added tax of an intra-Community supply.

(see para. 72, operative part 3)

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Third Chamber)

27 September 2007 (*)

(Sixth VAT Directive – First subparagraph of Article 28a(3) and first subparagraph of Article 28c(A)(a) – Intra-Community acquisition – Intra‑Community supply – Exemption – Goods dispatched or transported to another Member State – Evidence – National measures to combat fraud)

In Case C‑409/04,

REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, Queen’s Bench Division (Administrative Court) (United Kingdom), made by decision of 6 May 2004, received at the Court on 24 September 2004, in the proceedings

The Queen, on the application of:

Teleos PLC,

Unique Distribution Ltd,

Synectiv Ltd,

New Communications Ltd,

Quest Trading Company Ltd,

Phones International Ltd,

AGM Associates Ltd,

DVD Components Ltd,

Fonecomp Ltd,

Bulk GSM Ltd,

Libratech Ltd,

Rapid Marketing Services Ltd,

Earthshine Ltd,

Stardex (UK) Ltd

v

Commissioners of Customs & Excise,

THE COURT (Third Chamber),

composed of A. Rosas, President of the Chamber, A. Borg Barthet, J. Malenovský, U. Lõhmus (Rapporteur) and A. Ó Caoimh, Judges,

Advocate General: J. Kokott,

Registrar: L. Hewlett, Principal Administrator,

having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 15 June 2006,

after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:

– Teleos PLC, Unique Distribution Ltd, Synectiv Ltd, New Communications Ltd, Quest Trading Company Ltd, Phones International Ltd, AGM Associates Ltd, DVD Components Ltd, Fonecomp Ltd, Bulk GSM Ltd, Libratech Ltd, Rapid Marketing Services Ltd, Earthshine Ltd and Stardex (UK) Ltd, by N. Pleming QC, M. Conlon QC and E. Sharpston QC, P. Hamilton, P. Moser and A. Young, Barristers, and by D. Waelbroeck, avocat,

– the United Kingdom Government, by C. Jackson, acting as Agent, and by R. Anderson QC and R. Haynes, Barrister,

– the Greek Government, by V. Kyriazopoulos, I. Bakopoulos, K. Georgiadis and M. Tassopoulou, acting as Agents,

– the French Government, by G. de Bergues and C. Jurgensen-Mercier, acting as Agents,

– Ireland, by D. O’Hagan, acting as Agent, and by E. Fitzsimons SC and B. Conway BL,

– the Italian Government, by I.M. Braguglia, acting as Agent, assisted by G. De Bellis, avvocato dello Stato,

– the Portuguese Government, by L. Fernandes and C. Lança, acting as Agents,

– the Commission of the European Communities, by R. Lyal and A. Weimar, acting as Agents,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 11 January 2007,

gives the following

Judgment

1 This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of the first subparagraph of Article 28a(3) and the first subparagraph of Article 28c(A)(a) of the Sixth...