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Old 10-21-2013, 04:32 AM   #1
Mort1997
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EU vote this week to set same VAT on ebooks as books

An article today in the Daily Mail indicating that the prices on Ebooks in the UK could be going down if the VAT rate is harmonised with that of books.(ebooks are taxed at 20% and hard copies are not).

A slightly less hysterical article can be found here:

"A Polish proposal would see the VAT on ebooks harmonised across the UK and end UK ebook sales attracting 20% VAT. Other countries already have lower rates of VAT for ebooks. In France printed books and ebooks are both taxed at 5.5 per cent and in Luxembourg it’s 3 per cent. "

Last edited by pdurrant; 10-21-2013 at 08:36 AM.
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Old 10-21-2013, 07:37 AM   #2
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I've always thought that books shouldn't be taxed. Food either for that matter.
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Old 10-21-2013, 07:55 AM   #3
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About time that VAT on paper and ebooks is applied consistently.

Any decrease in price will depend on where the companies are based for tax purpose though ebooks from Amazon UK are actually sold by Amazon Media EU (based in Luxemburg so lower VAT than the UK in the first place - 3% for ebooks in Luxemburg vs. 20% in the UK)

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Old 10-21-2013, 08:20 AM   #4
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Good news, if true, and it'll wipe out Amazon's tax-dodging advantage over other vendors.

Books and food are theoretically zero-rated in the UK, but luxury items are taxed, which includes ebooks and some kinds of food.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:39 AM   #5
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If it happens, I wonder if Amazon and other ebook sellers will suddenly start selling to the EU from the UK?

And then there's another measure due (in 2015?) that will make the VAT rate applicable on electronic goods (e.g. ebooks, software) be the rate for the customer's location, not the supplier's location.

Interesting times.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:50 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by pdurrant View Post
And then there's another measure due (in 2015?) that will make the VAT rate applicable on electronic goods (e.g. ebooks, software) be the rate for the customer's location, not the supplier's location.
That is actually so sensible, it should have happened a long time ago.
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Old 10-21-2013, 09:00 AM   #7
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Actually, in the EU, ebooks are considered a service, and hence currently use the "services" VAT rate, which is (as explained in the articles) way higher than the books rates.

One really interesting proposition was made by a French MoP to lower the rate on ebooks, but consider DRMized/Non interoperable books as a service , and only apply the lower vat rate to unencumbered ebooks. This seems (to me) an other really sensible idea.
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Old 10-21-2013, 11:29 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by pdurrant View Post
And then there's another measure due (in 2015?) that will make the VAT rate applicable on electronic goods (e.g. ebooks, software) be the rate for the customer's location, not the supplier's location.

Interesting times.
That's the way it works (for all goods) in Sweden (since late 90s if I remember correctly). If a company sells more than a certain amount (something like €30'-50' I think) a year to customers within Sweden, they have to apply the swedish VAT (which is usually higher than most countries...).
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Old 10-21-2013, 12:31 PM   #9
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Books and food are theoretically zero-rated in the UK, but luxury items are taxed, which includes ebooks and some kinds of food.
That's true, but misleading.

The point is that almost everything in the UK is taxed (at 20%). Most food, and books, are exceptional, being zero-rated. Just because something isn't zero-rated, that doesn't make it a luxury.

Confectionery and hot meals in cafes and pubs are examples of food items that are taxed at 20%, but that doesn't mean they are considered luxuries. Similarly with adults clothes (20%), compared to children's clothes (zero). So, by the same token, ebooks are no more or less of a luxury than paper books.

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Old 10-21-2013, 12:35 PM   #10
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That's true, but misleading.

The point is that almost everything in the UK is taxed (at 20%). Most food, and books, are exceptional, being zero-rated. Just because something isn't zero-rated, that doesn't make it a luxury.

Confectionery and hot meals in cafes and pubs are examples of food items that are taxed at 20%, but that doesn't mean they are considered luxuries. Similarly with adults clothes (20%), compared to children's clothes (zero). So, by the same token, ebooks are no more or less of a luxury than paper books.

Mike
Absolutely right. ebooks are taxed because they are classed as a service, not because they're a "luxury item". The EU VAT Directive which resulted in ebooks being taxed was originally aimed at making sure music downloads didn't escape VAT; ebooks just got caught up in it as a side-effect.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:02 PM   #11
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Halleluja, German consumers will certainly profit from lower ebook taxes.
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Old 10-22-2013, 12:18 PM   #12
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Nevermind
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Old 10-26-2013, 01:47 AM   #13
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Halleluja, German consumers will certainly profit from lower ebook taxes.
So would Dutch consumers. I think the high VAT on ebooks is almost everywhere in Europe, except in France and Luxembourg.
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Old 10-26-2013, 03:43 AM   #14
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Note that all ebooks that Amazon sells in the EU are from Luxembourg, and so already only have 3% VAT added.
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Old 10-26-2013, 03:43 AM   #15
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The OP said that the vote was "this week", and that was a week ago. Do we know what the outcome of the vote was?
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