VIT61250 - Legal history: cases about definition of input tax
Ahmed (M) t/as New Touch VTD 20119
Da Conti International Ltd VTD 6215
Ellen Garage (Oldham) Ltd VTD 12407
Hargreaves (UK) plc VTD 20382
Pennystar Ltd 1996 STC 163
Please note that the following material is not a full summary of the case - it merely highlights the principle referred to in the appropriate section of this manual.
Ahmed (M) t/as New Touch VTD 20119
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp taxpayer had received invoices issued after the supplier had been deregistered and claimed the VAT on them as input tax. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal dismissed the appeal. It held that, “the only way in which a taxpayer can claim a deduction for input tax is to satisfy specific evidential requirements which have built in to them a measure of discretion conferred on the Commissionersâ€�.
Da Conti International Ltd VTD 6215
A UK company bought a yacht and reclaimed input tax. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal ruled that, since the yacht was moored in Greece, the supply had taken place outside the UK and was not subject to UK VAT.
Ellen Garage (Oldham) Ltd VTD 12407
Ellen Garage engaged a contractor to build four industrial units. Payment was made in cash on a weekly basis. On completion of the work the contractor issued an invoice showing an amount of VAT due. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp invoice showed a false registration number and the contractor was not registered for VAT. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal found that the contractor was a taxable person because his turnover clearly exceeded the registration threshold. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapprefore Ellen Garage was entitled to credit for the input tax.
Hargreaves (UK) plc VTD 20382
Hargreaves and another company in its VAT group bought fuel for their haulage businesses. This fuel was illegal for use in road vehicles. Invoices for the fuel showed the names of deregistered companies and were invalid. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal concluded that the taxpayer failed to exercise sufficient care and judgment to ensure that it received genuine taxable supplies of fuel from taxable persons. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal also considered that a principle established by the European Court of Justice could be applied in this case. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp principle is that a taxable person who knows, or should have known, that by making a purchase he was taking part in a transaction connected with the fraudulent evasion of VAT, must be regarded as a participant in that fraud. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp tribunal therefore rejected Hargreavesâ€� claim to input tax.
Pennystar Ltd 1996 STC 163
Pennystar claimed input tax on a payment for some computers which in fact were not delivered. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp court held that the property in the computers had never passed to Pennystar and there had been no supply. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapprefore Pennystar was not entitled to input tax.