Reply to comment

I like(d) my Second Life. Virtual freedom to be or not be what or who you are in real life. Today I start paying VAT over transactions with a US entity, which is not the fault of LL, though they could have provided some warning or note out of courtesy. They were not obliged to do so, as we are required to abide by the laws of the territory we reside in, but it would have been "nice".

To answer the question of someone who wanted to know if a business running a loss would be able to recoup the VAT, the answer is a partial yes. If they are registered as a business, they would be able to do so. As an individual, you never can.

Referring to the poster who talks about a 6% tax in Canada which is not being charged (based on his statement), that could be a case for international tax lawyers, I'm not up to date on those.

For the record, I wouldn't even mind paying a 6% tax, but EU VAT is between 17% and 21% depending on the country you reside in I believe.

European "players" lose here and are now at a serious competitive disadvantage when compared to those who are (for now) exempt from being taxed.

For the time being I've raised my tier costs to reflect this new development, but I'm seriously considering dropping all my SL activities and stepping out.

Right now we get all the laws that limit us, but none of the laws that offer protection. Ain't it fun?

ServMe Nakamura
virtualSecond CEO