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The EU’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative is set to modernize how VAT is reported and collected. Retailers and manufacturers in Belgium will be one of the first that need to adjust to the new regulations in January 2026 already. While it brings welcome improvements in transparency and efficiency, it also introduces new compliance requirements that impact finance, IT, and operations — especially in the manufacturing and retail sectors. Here’s what you need to know, and how to prepare.
Change comes with complexity
The ViDA initiative aims to make VAT reporting more uniform across the EU, with the goal of reducing fraud and administrative burdens in the long run. But in the short term, it means change — and for many, complexity.
One of the core pillars of ViDA is mandatory digital reporting. This includes near real-time invoice sharing with tax authorities and broader use of structured e-invoicing, often through government-endorsed networks like Peppol.
For manufacturers and retailers this raises practical questions:
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Are your current systems capable of producing and exchanging invoices in compliant formats?
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Do you have secure digital archiving in place?
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Can you manage different rules across EU member states?
These changes affect not just tax teams, but also ERP systems, procurement workflows, and customer communications. And timelines are tight: Belgium, for example, is expected to implement ViDA as early as Janaury 2026.
Make sure you're ready
At Tradeplace, we understand how these processes work — and where they often break down. Whether you're looking to enable Peppol-compliant invoicing, set up compliant archiving, or connect your systems more easily to partners and platforms, we have an easy to implement solution for you !
ViDA is coming, but with the right setup, it doesn’t have to disrupt your business. Let's make sure you're ready.
Contact us if you'd like to know more about becoming ViDA compliant in time !
