Peru’s Tax Agency Targets Digital Platforms and Offshore Accounts
Peru · Economy
Key Facts
—Digital VAT. Peru’s tax agency says value-added tax on foreign digital services has raised more than S/300m ($80m) since launch, and could top S/500m ($133m) this year.
—Offshore accounts. Cross-border data-sharing flagged more than 15,000 Peruvians with undeclared foreign accounts, recovering close to S/260m ($69m).
—Rental platforms. More than 34,000 people letting property through apps such as Airbnb and Booking are now being brought into the tax net.
—The tools. The agency says it is using artificial intelligence and data cross-checks to spot informal commerce and untaxed e-commerce activity.
—The backdrop. The push was outlined at a regional tax-transparency forum run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Peru’s tax authority is widening a campaign to capture revenue from the digital economy, from streaming subscriptions to short-term rentals and offshore bank accounts, in a drive that mirrors moves across Latin America.
The head of Peru’s customs and tax agency, known by its Spanish acronym SUNAT, said collections tied to digital services had grown steadily as platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video expanded in the country. A levy introduced in 2024 made foreign providers responsible for charging and remitting value-added tax directly, closing a gap where these sales were taxable in theory but rarely collected in practice.
The push fits a wider regional pattern. Governments across Latin America have moved in recent years to tax cross-border digital services and to lean on international data-sharing to track income that once slipped through national systems, part of a broader effort coordinated through the OECD’s transparency forum. For Peru, where informality has long limited the tax base, the digital economy offers a rare lever to raise revenue without lifting headline rates.
What Peru’s digital platforms crackdown collects
Officials said the digital-services tax had already raised more than S/300m ($80m) since it took effect, with a full-year estimate above S/500m ($133m). Separately, the agency said it had identified more than 15,000 Peruvians holding undeclared accounts abroad, work that brought in close to S/260m ($69m), and that information exchange with other tax authorities had yielded more than S/585m ($155m) between 2023 and 2025. A parallel effort has flagged over 34,000 people earning rental income through booking apps, who are now being asked to regularize their payments.
AI and data-sharing widen the net
The agency said it now uses artificial intelligence to detect patterns linked to informal commerce, particularly people importing goods for resale rather than personal use, and to cross-reference taxpayer records. The approach leans heavily on international information exchange, the system under which countries swap financial-account data to catch undeclared income held abroad. The agency’s chief made the comments at a regional meeting of the Latin America initiative of the OECD’s Global Forum on tax transparency, which also released a 2026 report on the region’s progress.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Why the digital platforms drive matters for Peru
For foreign residents and businesses, the message is that activity routed through digital platforms is increasingly visible to the tax office, and that all such activity is expected to issue payment receipts. Peru has long struggled with a large informal economy, and digital taxation offers a way to broaden the base without raising headline rates. The agency is also consulting on technical changes to how VAT on foreign services is declared and paid, with a new procedure due to take effect from July, signaling that the digital-tax framework is still being refined.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Peru taxing on digital platforms?
Peru charges value-added tax on foreign digital services such as streaming, and is pursuing rental income earned through booking apps and undeclared offshore accounts.
How much has the digital tax raised?
More than S/300m ($80m) since launch, with the agency projecting more than S/500m ($133m) for the full year.
How does Peru find offshore accounts?
Through international information exchange, which lets tax authorities swap financial-account data, supported by artificial-intelligence tools to flag undeclared income.
Does this affect foreign residents in Peru?
Yes. Income from digital platforms, including short-term rentals, is increasingly tracked, and all such activity is expected to issue payment receipts.
Connected Coverage
The drive comes as the same OECD body trims regional forecasts, detailed in its downgrade of Argentina’s growth outlook, and as Washington widens trade pressure described in a proposed forced-labor tariff that names Peru among dozens of economies.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times