Tax Risks and Compliance Challenges for Electric Vehicles in Business Operations
Scientific Conference on Economics and Entrepreneurship SCEE '2024: "Digital Transformation for Sustainable Tomorrow: Economics, Entrepreneurship and Education (3E)": organized within the 65th International Scientific Conference of Riga Technical University: Book of Abstracts 2024
Igors Kukjans, Māris Jurušs, Ingūna Jurgelāne-Kaldava

This study examines potential tax risks for companies using electric vehicles (EVs), particularly when charging at the company’s registered address without proper cost documentation. It focuses on the implications for value-added tax (VAT), corporate income tax (CIT), and payroll tax liabilities. A case-based analysis reveals that insufficient documentation for EV use can lead to disallowed VAT deductions, increased CIT liabilities, and payroll tax issues if the vehicle is used for personal purposes. Specifically: − The company may only deduct 50% of VAT on electricity costs for vehicle charging. − Expenses like electricity, insurance, and repairs may be classified as non-business-related, increasing the CIT base. − The vehicle could be considered a fringe benefit, requiring the company to include its value in the employee's taxable income, resulting in additional payroll tax liabilities. The study emphasizes the importance of precise documentation to prove business use and highlights the risks of missing GPS tracking systems. It calls for regulatory updates to address the growing business use of EVs and concludes with recommendations to reduce compliance risks through better record-keeping and clearer tax guidelines.


Keywords
Electric Vehicles, Tax Risks, Value-Added Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Payroll Tax
Hyperlink
https://www.rtu.lv/writable/editor_files/files/scee%602024_abstracts(1).pdf

Kukjans, I., Jurušs, M., Jurgelāne-Kaldava, I. Tax Risks and Compliance Challenges for Electric Vehicles in Business Operations. In: Scientific Conference on Economics and Entrepreneurship SCEE '2024: "Digital Transformation for Sustainable Tomorrow: Economics, Entrepreneurship and Education (3E)": organized within the 65th International Scientific Conference of Riga Technical University: Book of Abstracts, Latvia, Riga, 11-14 October, 2024. Riga: RTU Press, 2024, pp.53-53. ISSN 2256-0866.

Publication language
English (en)
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