Hi Antoine:
Thanks again for replying.
After further digging I found a bit more information: print books in Brazil are tax exempt but eBooks were charged VAT, as were ereading devices. Legal challenges ensued, and resulted in the lower courts ruling that the tax on ebooks was unfair. I could not find any more information about when the courts made that decision, or who brought forward the challenge. Retailers? Publishers? It is also unclear whether the ruling resulted in the suspension of tax on ebooks pending the outcome of the higher court's decision.
In September 2012, the Education, Culture and Sports Committee of the Brazilian Senate approved a bill that would make both ebooks and ereaders tax exempt. The bill was then forwarded to the Senate plenary for approval. In May 2013, the bill was still under review because several parties felt it was inadequate:
http://publishnewsbrazil.com/2013/05...al-publishing/.
By September 2013 the bill was still under review. I cannot find any further information.
Do you know:
- who initiated the legal challenge?
- if the higher court has ruled yet?
- was/is tax on ebooks suspended while the court considers/ed its position?
- what the current status of the bill is?
What I have been able to determine by the prices you found is that Amazon and Kobo are not adding tax to the list price set by the publisher, and Amazon are paying royalties based on the list price.
Much thanks.