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Dragon Slayers or Tax Evaders?
Julian Dibbell has a piece on the LegalAffairs site exploring the possibility that MMOG transactions could be taxed. From the article: "June 2003. I set myself the following challenge, posting it on my web log for the world to see: 'On April 15, 2004, I will truthfully report to the IRS that my primary source of income is the sale of imaginary goods--and that I earn more from it, on a monthly basis, than I have ever earned as a professional writer.' In the course of this project, I made a total of $11,000 selling on eBay the items I won playing a game called Ultima Online, $3,900 of which was in the final, most profitable month. I reported my profit to the IRS, and I paid the requisite taxes. But after I did so, a troublesome set of questions continued to nag at me--for which even IRS publication 525, entitled 'Taxable and Nontaxable Income,' couldn't provide answers."
"Virtual property has no actual real world value. Yes, you can sell it to anyone foolish enough to pay for it..."
Ah, so many meatspace items/services I could apply this to...
"Quoting yourself is stupid." -Me
Imaging a whole new world of money laundering... Invest your cocaine money into The Cup Of Dorgama (+23 charisma AND can cast Holy Fire).
Bad pull, man!! Hope you can tank that kind of aggro.