Eric Schmitz
Director, PwC Belgium
Eric is a Director in the Belgian VAT group with over 30 years of experience in VAT gained through time spent within Belgian Customs & Excise, the profession and industry.
He heads up the VAT team that specialises in advising e-services, telecommunication, retail, media, broadcasting and entertainment companies. Eric acts as the VAT relationship director on a large number of Belgian domestic telecom, media, broadcasting and entertainment clients.
Eric has advised mainly Belgian, but also European, telecom, e-services, media, broadcasting and entertainment companies on a large variety of VAT related projects, both on operational and strategic level.
This includes optimised application of VAT rates and exemptions, VAT set up of (e-) invoicing and billing systems, VAT treatment of vouchers and prepaid cards, implementation of cash VAT accounting, third part content billing (“below versus above the VAT line”), efficient self-billing solutions with big dealer networks (with domestic reverse charge), VAT efficient structuring of marketing campaigns and joint offers.
He has also been involved in a large number of VAT litigation files, including mediation with the Belgian Fiscal Mediation Department (“Fiscale Bemiddelingsdienst”).
Eric has also experience in the negotiations and obtaining for sector and individual rulings with the Belgian Minister of Finance, the VAT authorities and the Department of Preliminary Decisions in tax matters (“Dienst Voorafgaande beslissingen in fiscale zaken”), e.g. conversion of pre-paid cards to “usage”- taxation, self-billing arrangements for the telecom industry, introduction of the “below the VAT line billing” in Belgium, VAT cash accounting for the telecom industry.
Together with PwC forensic department, Eric helps companies in different industries with their tax fraud dispute management with the Belgian tax authorities.
Eric has developed unique knowledge where it comes to e-services, telecom, media, broadcasting and entertainment companies for VAT and is recognised in Belgium and abroad as a key PwC expert on the subject matter.
