Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
When the government is not charging VAT, it is illegal to collect VAT.
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They aren't, they are just putting the price up. Or in some cases no longer absorbing the VAT cost as some prices inc VAT are currency conversions of prices excluding tax. Because in EU, and some other countries, the retail price legally had to include any taxes such as Excise and VAT (it's 67% for petrol in Ireland adding both and VAT is calculated after duty is added, always). I believe the Amazon.com USA prices exclude any locally applicable sales tax.
So Publishers, Authors and Amazon using Amazon automatic conversions from US$ were already getting LESS income from UK sales than USA sales on eBooks, but the same on paper books! The abolition of VAT restores parity.
Also prices tend to be 1c or 1p less than the next full £stg or $ or €.
I'd be the first to cry foul at Amazon takeovers and business practices, but actually because there was no VAT on paper books and how price conversion is done, the total retail price being unchanged on most UK ebooks on Amazon is quite expected, not unreasonable and not illegal.
Of course some ebooks, especially from the Big Houses, are IMO overpriced. That's a separate issue and there is a thread on it. To charge a high price and have DRM seems a double insult, especially when Amazon doesn't ALSO sell epubs and now has the even more proprietary KFX and no non-Amazon dedicated ereader has Amazon DRM.
The eBooks and paper books should be treated the same. So either both should have had same VAT or none. DRM is NOT about copyright, it's about Corporate control. It's never stopped commercial piracy.