Reclaim Thousands in Value-Added Taxes with Atlas Travel International and Partner Universal VAT Services! What is Value-Added Tax? Value Added Tax ( VAT ) is a tax levied at the time of the sale of goods and services abroad. In some countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore, this tax is known as "goods and services tax" or GST; and in Japan it is known as "consumption tax." A French economist invented VAT in 1954. In France, it is the most important source of state finance, accounting for approximately 45% of state revenues. Value Added Tax (VAT) began as a tax levied on products at all stages of development (raw material, manufacturing, wholesale, retail) to account for the value added as the product progressed through its development cycle. The tax is also levied on the provision of services such as hotel accommodations, car rentals, restaurants, etc. In effect, VAT is very similar to a national sales tax. The GST and HST taxes that can be reclaimed in Canada are pure sales taxes. Businesses are able to recover VAT on the materials and services that they buy to make further supplies or services (whether directly or indirectly sold to end-users). In this way, the total tax levied at each stage in the economic chain of supply is a constant fraction of the value added by a business to its products, and most of the cost of collecting the tax is borne by business, rather than by the state. VAT was invented because very high sales taxes and tariffs encourage cheating and smuggling. It has been criticized on the grounds that it is a regressive tax. The bottom line is that corporations can reclaim the VAT on travel and expenses incurred during travel in many countries. VAT can be reclaimed! VAT is refunded by most European Economic Community (EEC) countries and some Asian countries Tax is added to business-related expenses VAT varies 3.6% to 25%, depending on EEC country and type of expenses Average VAT paid is $40 (per person, per day)   Countries that Allow Corporate VAT Reclaim COUNTRY FLAG TAX NAME RATE   COUNTRY FLAG TAX NAME RATE Austria MwSt 20%   Luxembourg   TVA 15% Belgium MwSt 21%   Netherlands   BTW 19% Canada   GST 7%   S. Ireland VAT 21% Denmark   MVD 25%   S. Korea VAT 10% Finland ALV 22%   Sweden   MOMS 25% France   TVA 19.60%   Switzerland MsSt 7.60% Germany   MwSt 16%   United Kingdom VAT 17.5% Japan Consumption Tax 5% Note: Japan requires mandatory prior registration-- Inquiries dated after the registration date will be accepted for consumption tax refund.   Depending on the country, VAT may be refunded on the following: Travel Expenses (hotels, car rentals, ground transportation, meals, banquets) Seminars, Conferences, Training, Workshops, Tradeshows (all related costs) Telephone Expenses (mobile phone rentals, local/long distance calls, calls made from hotel) Wire Transfers & Payments made to Foreign Vendors (purchases from the overseas vendors) Overnight Courier Expenses (DHL, FedEx, UPS, and others) Professional Fees (legal, consulting, marketing, accounting) Aviation (Private Aircraft) ( ground handling, fuel, landing fees) Other Expense (parking, fuel, relocation expenses)   How Can Atlas Travel International Help with VAT? Atlas Travel International has partnered with Universal VAT Services to assist corporate customers in reclaiming with VAT services. We encourage you to contact your Atlas Travel International agent or customer service representative to find out more about this important service. Universal VAT Services (UVS) provides corporations and academic institutions with comprehensive foreign tax reclaim services. These taxes include the Value Added Taxes (VAT) levied by Europe, the U.K. and elsewhere, as well as Canada's GST, a national sales tax charged in all provinces except the Maritime Provinces where the tax is known as Harmonized Tax (HST). In many cases these taxes, which are imposed on virtually all types of business-related expenses incurred while traveling abroad, can be reclaimed. UVS was founded in 1992 by Mr. Raj Shah to fill a need for reclaiming these taxes incurred by corporate business travelers. By utilizing Universal VAT Services to develop a program for reclaiming those taxes, corporations began to add significant dollars to their bottom line. UVS evolved as a natural diversification of the existing corporate Travel Management business that Mr. Shah has successfully operated since its inception in 1976.