As soon as Alexis Tsielepis took to the stage of the CYVA VAT Forum 2025 earlier this week, the close to 200 delegates at Ktima Kousioumi in Nicosia knew they were in for a treat.
Alexis asked the stage crew to dim the lights and donned in his red suit – to match the colours of his beloved Chelco VAT – and orange eyeglasses – to mirror the CYVA logo – he declared to all that he was addicted to VAT.
“Hi, I am Alexis Tsielepis and I am a VATaholic,” he said, paused and added insult to injury by informing his perplexed audience that he was going to talk to them about VAT abuse, chocolate cakes, Beelzebub, fake Louis Vuittons, thrill rides and porn, which confused them even more.
The title of his presentation then appeared on the screen and the crowd leaned back in their chairs in anticipation, curiosity, and even a bit of apprehension: A glimpse into the life of a VAT Advisor.
Alexis said he was passionate about VAT and that his profession was demanding, arduous and sometimes exhausting, justifying his claims with a quote used by Lord Justice Sedley in the Court of Appeal case of Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance who said: “Beyond the everyday world lies the world of VAT; a kind of fiscal theme park in which factual and legal realities are suspended or inverted”.
He then put on his proverbial teaching hat and explained the VAT treatment between cookies and cakes, the foiled attempt of a business owner to dodge VAT by claiming his Lamborghini Diablo was a supply van for his shops, how even fake Louis Vuitton bags are subject to VAT, unlike counterfeit money, and that in terms of VAT, roller coasters are not considered transport, as one theme park tried to contend.
He then illustrated the concept of Place of Supply using an example of live, interactive adult content streamed from Asia to viewers participating virtually in Europe.
CYVA VAT Forum 2025 was held on Monday, 3 November 2025 and was organised by the Cyprus VAT Association (CYVA), of which Alexis is a co-founder and the Vice-Chairman.
It was opened by Deputy Minister to the President, Irene Piki, and was addressed by an impressive panel of experts from Cyprus and the EU, including the Cypriot Vice-President of the General Court of the EU, Dr. Savvas Papasavvas, Référendaire at the Court of Justice of the EU, Prof. Dr. David Hummel, the President of the International VAT Association (IVA), Fernando Matesanz, Director of IVA, Raymond Feen and PhD Candidate at the University of Leipzig, Felician Hummel.
CYVA was formed in 2019 with the aim of providing a unified and independent voice to all professionals and businesses in Cyprus on Value Added Tax matters.
