# BR-S-10

Quoted from a public specification. This page is not a validator, and it is not tax, legal, or accounting advice.

- Country: EU
- Syntax: UBL
- Severity: fatal
- Statement language: en
- Last verified: 2026-10-17

## Official statement

> A VAT breakdown (BG-23) with VAT Category code (BT-118) "Standard rate" shall not have a VAT exemption reason code (BT-121) or VAT exemption reason text (BT-120).

Source: https://docs.peppol.eu/poacc/billing/3.0/rules/ubl-tc434/BR-S-10/

Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, May 2026 release, EN 16931 model bound to UBL

Severity note: fatal, from the Flag column of the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 UBL rules index retrieved 2026-10-17.

## Plain-language reading

A VAT breakdown whose category is standard rated must not include a VAT exemption reason code (BT-121) or a VAT exemption reason text (BT-120). The official message says "Standard rate", not "Standard rated". The published test checks that both elements are absent where the category code is S.

## What to change

Remove the exemption reason code and the exemption reason text from the S breakdown.

## Illustration

Illustration of the condition in the official statement. Not an example published by the source.

**Fails the stated condition.** A VAT breakdown category code is S and an exemption reason text or an exemption reason code is present.

**Passes the stated condition.** That breakdown's category code is S and both the exemption reason text and the exemption reason code are absent.

## Published context and test

Copied from the source. Not reimplemented on this page.

```
/*/cac:TaxTotal/cac:TaxSubtotal/cac:TaxCategory[normalize-space(cbc:ID) = 'S'][cac:TaxScheme/normalize-space(upper-case(cbc:ID))='VAT']
```

```
not(cbc:TaxExemptionReason) and not(cbc:TaxExemptionReasonCode)
```

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