Why does this not surprise me? [Linked Image]

Quote
In a unilateral move that reverses the prevailing philosophy of keeping the Internet tax-free, the European Union agreed this week to impose a value-added tax (VAT) on products downloaded from the Internet to private customers within the 15-nation bloc.

The new rules will go into effect in July of 2003 and require non-EU companies to register with the tax authorities in at least one of the EU member states.

Once registered, the non-EU company will be required to levy the appropriate national VAT rate (15-25%) an all personal Internet transactions. The collecting country will then redistribute the proceeds to other EU countries where the sales were actually made. Internal companies, however, who already collect a VAT within the EU, will be exempt from tax on services they provide to non-EU residents.

Link to full story .

So the Brussels bureaucrats now want American companies to act as unpaid tax-collectors for the EU. (Yes, and Canadian, Australian, & the rest of the world, but it will naturally have the greatest impact on the U.S.A.)

As for requiring "non-EU companies to register with the tax authorities in at least one of the EU member states," just what do they think gives them the right to tell the rest of the world that it must comply with their rules and regulations? [Linked Image]



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-23-2003).]