The Minister for Finance has recently issued a press release confirming that the poultry broiler sector will be removed from the VAT Flat-Rate Addition scheme from 1 September 2025. The decision follows advice from the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance that overcompensation is occurring within the sector. Farmers whose turnover exceeds the relevant thresholds and who are impacted by the change will need to register for VAT if they wish to reclaim VAT on their inputs.
The flat-rate addition scheme is designed to reimburse non-VAT registered farmers for the VAT incurred on inputs used in their farming operations. This is achieved by allowing the farmer to add a flat-rate percentage (currently 5.1percent) to the price charged on supplies to a VAT registered person.
EU legislation permits the use of a flat-rate scheme for farmers, with a key condition of the scheme is that it must not lead to farmers being overcompensated for VAT incurred by them on business related expenses. According to the press release, a Revenue investigation in 2018 determined that there was a significant amount of overcompensation occurring in the poultry sector. After a further review over the last 18 months, it has been confirmed that this overcompensation is still occurring.
The press release outlines that any queries can be directed to Revenue at the following email address;
businesstaxesregistrations@revenue.ie.