The EU VAT, again.

It's become quiet over the holidays about the EU VAT and VATMOSS (or WhatMess, as it should be titled, probably). The topic is not off the table yet, though, and if you've been on Ravelry recently, you will have noticed the Notice next to the EU flag.

If you are confused now and would like to have a nice analogous explanation on how the new rules work (or don't work), I recommend Hannah's Banana Story.  Carolyn Jewel blogs about her problems with pricing in the new system, especially regarding ebooks, and Cheryl Morgan has similar problems. (Her final thought? Amazon will profit from this, a lot. Which is exactly what I suspect. Say, wasn't the intention of the new rules something along the lines of curbing the advantage of the Big Players, among them said Big River Store who ships from wherever tax was cheaper? Hmmm....)

The new tax regulations are in force since January 1, and I have no idea how all the single traders selling digital content are handling it - since there has been no change in the legislation yet, as far as I know. Personally, I'm very happy that I only have one digital knitting pattern these days, and since it hasn't seen any sales for a while (which is a pity, but there are plenty of hats around, so I can sort of understand), I've just taken it off Ravelry for the time being. (Should you want one, drop me an email.)

I'm staying tuned to the EUVAT Action site and the Digital Microbusiness Group, but there's not much happening on either at the moment, and I hope that means the groups are in contact with those in charge in the EU, busily trying to solve the problem, and too busy to post news.

If you can, please spread the word about this, or fill out a survey on the EUVAT Action site, or take one of the other actions listed there. The more that speak or write about it, the better!