The rate
The standard rate in Eswatini is 15%. Some goods and services carry reduced or zero rates and others are exempt. The difference matters: zero-rated sales still let you reclaim the tax on your purchases, exempt sales do not.
15% since 1 August 2018, raised from 14% by Legal Notice 112 of 2018. The VAT Act does not state the rate at all — section 24(3) leaves it to regulations, which is why looking in the Act finds nothing. The 2018 budget speech gives the reason for the figure: Eswatini matches South Africa’s rate deliberately, to keep the Sekulula cross-border refund arrangement working.
Who must register
Registration is compulsory once annual taxable turnover exceeds E900,000. You must also register if in any three calendar months your taxable supplies exceeded a quarter of that annual threshold, or you expect them to — apply within 20 days of the quarter ending. Parastatals, municipalities and other public bodies making taxable supplies must register whatever their turnover. Below E900,000 you can apply voluntarily, and the Commissioner General will register you if you have a fixed place of business in Eswatini, can keep proper accounting records and can file reliably. A business making only exempt supplies does not register.
Filing and paying
Registered and filed with Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS).
Returns go in on TaxEase. Most registrants are quarterly filers; ERS puts registrants with turnover of E20 million or more on monthly periods. Either way the deadline is the 27th — the 27th of each month for monthly filers, the 27th of the month after the quarter for quarterly filers — and payment is due on the same date. You file two things: the VAT return (form VT 01) and a VAT Schedule, an Excel workbook in ERS's approved format listing every sale and purchase line by line with each customer's and supplier's name and TIN, invoice numbers and dates. Download a fresh schedule template from TaxEase each time you file; the upload populates your return summary.
Penalties for getting it wrong
Late filing and late payment are charged separately, each at 2% per month or part of a month — on the tax payable for the period while the return is outstanding, and on the unpaid tax while it stays unpaid. If you owe nothing and still file late, the penalty is E250 per month from the due date until ERS receives the return. Trading without registering when you should have costs you additional tax equal to double the VAT for the whole unregistered period. Charging VAT while unregistered, or charging it on exempt supplies, is an offence carrying a fine of E10,000 to E40,000 or up to 10 years' imprisonment.