Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Thornton
Is it a criminal offence to "import" an ebook without paying VAT by fraudulently registering as a resident in the country of purchase?
I'm wondering if, in the eyes of the law, it's a worse crime to buy a book without paying VAT than to copy it off the darknets without paying anything.
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This is indeed an issue highlighted in the UK legal opinion I have. It does not draw a conclusion, but it does warn of caselaw which could very easily lead at the very least to a tax bill.
(And it notes that the revenue authorities are often willing to chase what seems like trivial sums and to make examples of people, sigh.)