Bw Vat Gst

---
name: bw-vat-gst
description: "Botswana VAT for 2026-27 under the Value Added Tax Act, 2026: 14% rate, P1,000,000 threshold, P500,000 remote supplier threshold, reverse charge for large unregistered persons, zero-rated food, the medical suspension, categories, returns in 28 days. Use for Botswana VAT."
license: "AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)"
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  openaccountants_url: "https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/bw-vat-gst"
  jurisdiction: "BW"
  tax_year: "2026"
  last_updated: "2026-11-01"
---

# Botswana VAT v1.0

> **General reference only.** This skill is general tax reference material. It has not been reviewed for any specific person's facts. Check figures against the official sources named here.

Tax year: 2026-27 (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027). The Income Tax Act, 2026, Tax Administration Act, 2026 and Value Added Tax Act, 2026 commenced on 1 July 2026 and replace the old Cap. 52:01 and Cap. 50:03 regimes.

## Who this applies to

Persons making taxable supplies in Botswana, importers, remote suppliers, and from August 2026 Government entities and large unregistered persons receiving imported services. Persons already registered stay registered (SI 94 reg 19).

## Rates, bands and thresholds

| Item | Amount | Tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard rate | 14% | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (s 7(2)) |
| Zero rate | 0% | 2026-27 | same |
| Compulsory registration | over P1,000,000 in 12 months or less, or expected in the next 12 | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (s 12, Sch 5 para 2) |
| Remote services supplier | over P500,000 | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (s 13, Sch 5 para 3) |
| Voluntary registration | over P500,000; manufacturers, builders, mining licensees at any level | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (s 14, Sch 5 para 4) |
| Large unregistered person | supplies over P1,000,000 a year | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (Sch 5 para 1) |
| Category C, monthly | over P12,000,000 | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (s 54, Sch 5 para 5) |
| BURS interest on late refunds | 1% a month, compounded | 2026-27 | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 (Sch 5 para 6) |

The 15% rate proposed earlier was not enacted: the Act says 14%. The BURS VAT page still says 12% and P500,000; it is out of date.

## The base

Zero-rated foods, in natural state and unmixed ([BURS notice](https://www.burs.org.bw/images/Zero-Rated%20FoodStuff-%20Under%20Vat%20Act%20of%202026.pdf)): sorghum or maize meal (not cooked), millet grain and meal, wheat grain, maize cobs, sugar, brown bread, fresh potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, rape, beetroots, carrots and spinach, fresh oranges, apples and bananas (not dried, canned or bottled), rice, samp, bread flour, cooking oil. Everything else is 14%. Exports of goods and services are zero-rated with documentary proof (Sch 1, s 8(2)).

Exempt (Sch 2): financial services not charged by fee; precious metals; services of public medical facilities; donated goods by non-profit bodies; education; public transport; home owners' associations; nominal supplies by Government or non-profit bodies; lease of residential premises for 45 days or more; Deposit Insurance Scheme services.

Private medical services are not on the exempt list, but BURS says charging VAT on medical services "is suspended" for consultation ([notice 30 July 2026](https://www.burs.org.bw/images/Value%20Added%20Tax%20on%20Medical%20Services%20Suspension.pdf)). If a client is a private provider, do not charge VAT while the notice stands.

Reverse charge: services from a supplier with no Botswana place of business, received by a registered person, Government entity or large unregistered person, if taxable when supplied locally (s 28). Internal charges from a foreign branch count.

Remote services include digital content, hosting, online courses, and remote professional services (SI 94 reg 14). Inbound tourism and gig platform rules are not yet in force (SI 95 para 3).

Excess input tax of a person mainly making zero-rated supplies is refunded within 28 days of the return (s 57).

## Deadlines and filing

1. Register: apply in the approved form to BURS within the s 12 trigger. Large unregistered persons and Government entities: from 1 August 2026, only to report reverse-charged VAT, with no input tax credit (SI 94 regs 17(4), 19).
2. BURS allocates Category A (periods ending Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov), B (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec) or C (monthly) (s 54).
3. Log in to e-Tax at https://eservices.burs.org.bw/; remote suppliers use https://eservices.burs.org.bw/remote-services/home.
4. Complete return VAT 002.1 ([BURS returns](https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/returns)), including nil periods.
5. Lodge and pay within 28 days after the period ends (ss 65, 66). The older 25th-day rule and remote regulations were revoked by SI 94 reg 20; the BURS pages have not caught up.
6. Remote non-residents file quarterly, to 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December (s 54(9)(b)).
7. Electronic billing starts nine months from commencement (TAA Regs reg 34), which is 1 April 2027.

## Penalties and interest

Interest is 1.5% a month or part month, simple (TAA s 41(2), Regs reg 21). Late filing of an income tax return: the greater of P100 a day (cap P20,000) or 10% of unpaid tax a month; the fixed amount never exceeds the tax on the return (TAA s 101). VAT return: the greater of P50 a day (cap P5,000) or 10% a month. Other documents: P50 a day, cap P5,000. Late payment: the greater of P50 a day or 10% a month (TAA s 102), but reg 33 of SI 90 waives this penalty for 12 months from commencement, which runs to 30 June 2027; interest still runs. False statement made deliberately or recklessly: 75% of the shortfall; any other false or misleading statement: 20%. Add 10 points on a second application and 25 on a third or later; half off on voluntary disclosure before discovery or audit (TAA s 103). Failure to e-file or e-pay where required: P20 manual fee (reg 30). Failure to register: 100% of the tax for the period, or P10,000 a month if none is due (TAA s 98).

## Cross-border points

Imports: VAT due at import (s 66(3)). Registered buyers of remote services give their VAT number to the supplier. See [Cross-border](bw-cross-border.md).

## Two worked examples that recompute

Example 1. Sale P100,000 net at 14%, input VAT P6,000, net payable P8,000.

```oa-check
name: Net VAT
inputs:
  sales: 100000
  input_vat: 6000
steps:
  - output: sales * 0.14
  - net: output - input_vat
expected:
  output: 14000.00
  net: 8000.00
```

Example 2. A decision: a consultant with P700,000 turnover need not register, but may, as it exceeds P500,000. Registering lets P40,000 of input VAT be claimed against a client charge of P98,000.

```oa-check
name: Voluntary registration
inputs:
  turnover: 700000
  input_vat: 40000
steps:
  - output: turnover * 0.14
  - net: output - input_vat
expected:
  output: 98000.00
  net: 58000.00
```

## Ask the client first

- Taxable turnover last 12 months and next 12?
- Local, export, zero-rated or exempt sales?
- Any services bought from abroad?
- Current category and period end?
- Private medical provider?

## Sources

| Source | Link | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Value Added Tax Act, 2026 (No. 15 of 2026), read: ss 7 to 9, 12 to 14, 28, 54, 57, 65, 66, Schedules 1, 2, 5; Regulations SI 94 and Order SI 95 in the same file | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=958:value-added-tax-act-2026 | 2026-11-01 |
| Tax Administration Act, 2026 (No. 14 of 2026), read: ss 14, 18, 27, 41, 98, 101 to 103; Regulations SI 90 regs 3, 4, 21, 28, 30, 33, 34 in the same file | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/tax-laws-2026?download=955:tax-administration-act-2026 | 2026-11-01 |
| BURS notice 9 July 2026, zero-rated foodstuffs, whole notice | https://www.burs.org.bw/images/Zero-Rated%20FoodStuff-%20Under%20Vat%20Act%20of%202026.pdf | 2026-11-01 |
| BURS notice 30 July 2026, VAT on medical services, whole notice | https://www.burs.org.bw/images/Value%20Added%20Tax%20on%20Medical%20Services%20Suspension.pdf | 2026-11-01 |
| BURS Returns page, form names only (page predates the 2026 Acts) | https://www.burs.org.bw/index.php/tax/returns | 2026-11-01 |

Not yet confirmed: the box layout of VAT 002.1 and the current VAT registration form number (no official page opened gives them); how long the medical suspension lasts and whether it is backed by gazette; whether the notice list of foods matches Sch 1 Pt III word for word (notice used); agricultural inputs from the old zero-rated line (Sch 1 Pt III not read item by item); the old file said foreign remote suppliers register from September 2025, now replaced by the Act.

## Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-11-01. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call `get_skill` with slug `bw-vat-gst` on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/bw-vat-gst. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.