On June 29, 2023, the Court of Justice of the European
Union ("Court") issued its decision in Case C-232/22,
Cabot Plastics, addressing the concept of fixed establishment in EU
VAT law.
A fixed establishment, as defined under EU VAT law, refers to
the presence of a business in a jurisdiction that possesses a
significant level of human capital and resources. This concept
holds great significance in EU VAT law as it determines the
location where services are considered to be supplied, and
establishes the obligations of taxpayers in relation to VAT.
The case revolved around a segment of the Cabot Group, a major
corporate group operating in the raw resource processing industry.
The group entities in question, Cabot Switzerland and Cabot
Plastics, were respectively based in Switzerland and Belgium and
were legally independent from each other.