25In that regard, when the refund to the taxable person of the overpaid VAT is not made within a reasonable period, the principle of fiscal neutrality of the VAT system requires that the financial loss incurred by the taxable person on account of the unavailability of the sums of money at issue be compensated through the payment of default interest. In the absence of EU legislation on VAT, it is for the internal legal order of each Member State to lay down the conditions under which default interest must be paid, particularly the rate of that interest and its method of calculation, whilst nevertheless observing the principle of fiscal neutrality (see, to that effect, judgments of 12 May 2011, Enel Maritsa Iztok 3, C‑107/10, EU:C:2011:298, paragraphs 33, 53 and 54; of 19 July 2012, Littlewoods Retail and Others, C‑591/10, EU:C:2012:478, paragraph 27; and of 24 October 2013, Rafinăria Steaua Română, C‑431/12, EU:C:2013:686, paragraphs 22 and 23).
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