Laws no. 17/19 and no. 18/19 were published last August 12, introducing several amendments to the Laws approving the Value Added Tax Code and the Special Consumption Tax Code.

• The Value Added Tax Code shall enter into force on 1 October 2019;
• As regards the transitional regime, taxpayers who do not opt to register within the general regime are required to settle the Value Added Tax quarterly, computed at a 3% rate applicable to the turnover of the previous three months, replacing the 7% rate provided for in the previous law;
• Applicability of the VAT exemption to supplies of goods and services previously not covered by any exemption provision, specifically: 

- Health insurance; 

- Education services rendered by establishments recognised by state bodies;

- Medical health services operated in hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and similar establishments;

- Transport of sick or injured persons in ambulances or other appropriate vehicles carried out by duly authorised bodies;

- Medical equipment for the rendering of health establishments’ activities. 

• The import of foreign currency by banking financial institutions, under the terms defined by the National Bank of Angola, is now exempt; 
• The exclusion of the obligation to captive VAT is now extended to the following transactions:

- Supplies of goods by supermarkets; water and energy consumption; hospitality services and other related or similar activities; services purchased via automated teller machines; insurance indemnities that result in reimbursement made by the insurers to the insured; 

• The exercise of the right of deduction is now made in the VAT return of the period which the invoices or equivalent documents were issued instead of the time of receipt, under the previous law.

• Motor vehicles, plastic bags, straws and retreaded and used tires are now subject to Special Consumption Tax;
• Where the tax assessment is the responsibility of the producer, the moment of settlement of the Tax is the one in which assets are made available to the purchasers (instead of the moment when the invoices or equivalent documents are processed, as previously foreseen in the amended legislation);
• Tax settlement statements to be submitted electronically.