Reducing VAT on e-boooks, to match printed books rates

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by frahse

I find that the stores still run sales during the "NO TAX" days, including the school items.

Same here.

[Kieran Seymour]

Just been announced that VAT on digital publications in the UK is being abolished from 1 December.

Chancellor abolishes 'reading tax'

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Kieran Seymour

Just been announced that VAT on digital publications in the UK is being abolished from 1 December.

Chancellor abolishes 'reading tax'

As of December 1, 2020, eBooks in the UK will drop 20% in price as the tax is abolished. This is the best thing in the tories' 2020 budget.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

As of December 1, 2020, eBooks in the UK will drop 20% in price as the tax is abolished.

Well, actually they’ll drop 16.667%, but that’s still a lot.

[BobC]

Or perhaps they will stay the same and the retailers will trouser the 20%.

BobC

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by BobC

Or perhaps they will stay the same and the retailers will trouser the 20%.

BobC

Much like when they split out the previously hidden federal sales tax in Canada and most retailers kept their prices the same and charged the Goods & Services tax.

[Quoth]

Amazon KDP pricing set by publisher / author is the total price including any taxes for any market place. So 90% of eBook sales will remain the same? Or the retail price may be set by calculation from the USA price. (depending on publisher choice).
Google prices set by publishers are also inclusive, but Google can charge less when they feel like it.
I forget how pricing works on Smashwords, but it can be simply inclusive US$ or by regions. I think Apple, Kobo, B&N sales from Smashwords are mostly in USA and Tolino in Germany.

Ireland has a reduced rate of VAT for Digital media compared to regular 23%, zero for printed books I think. But I don't know if Amazon applies UK VAT or Irish VAT to Kindle sales to Ireland, which are ignorantly in Sterling so you never know what the price really is for ANYTHING, except if you use Amazon Germany with English setting, but that won't sell Kindle ebooks to Ireland.
I know for absolutely decades Sky only charged Irish VAT for installs and paid all VAT on Irish Subscriptions to UK Customs & Excise. But I think they changed the rules at some stage, which won't apply after 31st December 2020.

Meanwhile despite Sterling poor and Euro high, all the mass market paper books (mostly UK imports even if Irish or USA Titles) have gone from just under €12 to just under €18 in less than a year.

Someone is trousering it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

Well, actually they’ll drop 16.667%, but that’s still a lot.

VAT in the UK is 20%. So ho will the price of eBooks drop only 16.667%?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

VAT in the UK is 20%. So ho will the price of eBooks drop only 16.667%?

Math.

If a book costs £12 now and you take away the 20% VAT it then costs £10. The difference of £2 is 16.67% of £12.

[binaryhermit]

Sounds like what liquidation sales do... they jack up the price to MSRP (which a lot of things never sell for) then mark it down from there.

The end result is that idiots have paid above full price for anything worthwhile and the shelves are all-but-bare by the time that the price is actually below regular price.

[jhowell]

A new 2% tax on large tech companies is planned to be enacted in the UK next month. That will give Amazon a good excuse to not drop e-book prices there.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by jhowell

A new 2% tax on large tech companies is planned to be enacted in the UK next month. That will give Amazon a good excuse to not drop e-book prices there.

Amazon doesn't control most book prices.
KDP prices are mostly set by publishers.
Corporate publishers control others.
The only book prices Amazon controls are those put on sale by them.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Amazon doesn't control most book prices.
KDP prices are mostly set by publishers.
Corporate publishers control others.
The only book prices Amazon controls are those put on sale by them.

That makes me wonder. If the publisher sets the price and governments can add taxes and fees, who eats the difference?

I guess it depends on how the contracts are written.

[Deskisamess]

Sales tax where I live is 6.5%. I never paid much attention to the Sales Tax Free weekends when my kids were younger. We shopped sales and clearances, and back then, many of the office supply stores like Staples had great coupon and rebates in place for those who took the time to make use of them.

Originally Posted by tweety

But of course as we don't actually own the ebook, just licence it unlike a pbook.
The ebook should be cheaper anyway.

I disagree. That attitude devalues ebooks, when actually they offer more benefits than a print book.

Multiple people can read the same book at the same time, adjustable fonts, instant delivery, built in dictionary and wiki, hundreds of books in one device, etc.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by jhowell

That makes me wonder. If the publisher sets the price and governments can add taxes and fees, who eats the difference?

The consumer, of course.
Both up and down.
The retailer's cut is fixed at 30% everywhere regardless of consumer spend.
Some publishers wholesale their ebooks but most there's little reason for retailers to settle for less except on short sales.