Frankly, I think its time the EU gets off its high-horse and realizes that in an internet-based, global economy, they have no legal right to dictate to EVERY SINGLE COMPANY in the ENTIRE WORLD that has a website which offers things for sale, exactly HOW that website MUST present its prices! In this day and age of the internet, websites for businesses based all over the world are available at the click of a mouse to EU residents, and that's a good thing. But what gives the EU the right to then dictate to that foreign business how it displays its prices on its webpage? Particularly for a company selling things which are delivered entirely electronically via the web so that no shipping is required, anyone with a credit card or other valid payment method can purchase and take delivery of assets offered by companies anywhere in the world.
I strongly believe that the EU has NO RIGHT to dictate that a non-EU website list its sale prices including VAT, thereby forcing all of us non-EU residents (including those in the country where the business is located) to do extra math and calculate what OUR price is after deducting the VAT that the EU supposedly dictates must be built into the displayed prices. NONSENSE! And, what's the penalty to a non-EU company and just HOW does the omnipotent EU propose to enforce and collect that penalty??
If I, as a U.S. citizen, decide to purchase things from an EU-based company via their website, then I have to understand that I need to deduct VAT from the displayed prices, as I'm not obligated to pay the VAT that the EU demands "be included in displayed prices" on those websites. By the same argument, an EU resident who decides to purchase from a U.S. based website (such as Linden Lab) should understand that they may well need to ADD VAT to the displayed prices, as its the custom where THAT website originates to display prices "pre-tax" to THEIR local consumer base.
Is there some reasonable compromise? Yes, I think Colette's idea is good. Leave the displayed prices as is, that is without taxes, but put a small asterisk next to them, which leads to a footnote about EU VAT and a link to a page with multiple tables, country by country for our EU friends who don't wish to be bothered with calculating the VAT themselves, but would prefer to have it "hidden" (which is a proven psychological ruse to pacify taxpayers and minimize resistance to the tax in the first place.)
I strongly believe that the EU has NO RIGHT to dictate that a non-EU website list its sale prices including VAT, thereby forcing all of us non-EU residents (including those in the country where the business is located) to do extra math and calculate what OUR price is after deducting the VAT that the EU supposedly dictates must be built into the displayed prices. NONSENSE! And, what's the penalty to a non-EU company and just HOW does the omnipotent EU propose to enforce and collect that penalty??
If I, as a U.S. citizen, decide to purchase things from an EU-based company via their website, then I have to understand that I need to deduct VAT from the displayed prices, as I'm not obligated to pay the VAT that the EU demands "be included in displayed prices" on those websites. By the same argument, an EU resident who decides to purchase from a U.S. based website (such as Linden Lab) should understand that they may well need to ADD VAT to the displayed prices, as its the custom where THAT website originates to display prices "pre-tax" to THEIR local consumer base.
Is there some reasonable compromise? Yes, I think Colette's idea is good. Leave the displayed prices as is, that is without taxes, but put a small asterisk next to them, which leads to a footnote about EU VAT and a link to a page with multiple tables, country by country for our EU friends who don't wish to be bothered with calculating the VAT themselves, but would prefer to have it "hidden" (which is a proven psychological ruse to pacify taxpayers and minimize resistance to the tax in the first place.)
Well LL have an office in the UK, the same office that deals with all payments, so they aren't just an American company. As for how do they collect the penalty, pretty easy from the Brighton office.
Do you really think it's fair that a high percentage of new customers coming and looking at the price lists and decide what they can afford to buy, then get stung with between an extra 15% and 25%?
Why would it be so difficult for American customers to see a note alongside the prices about VAT in the EU?
As for the comment about every single website having to conform to EU pricing, it would only be those that are registered for EU VAT, so if they either have European offices or made a choice to VAT register, then it isn't asking much to put the VAT on their websites.
