That depends on the definition of "trading in", which is rather the problem here. It's difficult to tie down on the Internet, and is in any case a legal concept defined by the laws.
I know this is probably a vain hope, but I'd like to see some actual infomation on the regulations. I'm quite suspicious of the things the media are saying - they don't sound right at all. In particular, I don't see that the EU can require a body not actually trading in the EU to pay VAT. They could and can require their own citizens to pay/charge it, but I don't see they can require overseas entities to do so.
Note that both AOL and EBay actually operate and provide services in the EU, so bloody well should have been charging VAT in the first place. These are not US entities, they are EU entities owned by US entities, so are subject to EU law.
I can't see it affects small US businesses at all. Or Slashdot subscriptions. It's not up to you to pay EU taxes, though the people you sell to might have to.
Of course, it's possible the EU have taken a leaf out of the US book and decided to enact extra-territorial laws ("Don't trade with Cuba because we say so, or we'll break you.").
Well, yes, but we are also pretty sure that there is water on Mars, and if it was heavily contaminated with mineral salts it wouldn't evaporate immediately, so the theory isn't all that far-fetched. It's a nice simple interpretation of the data. Now, can we send some probes to check it out please.
Of course, it could be little green aliens urinating from space, but that theory seems a little silly.
Slashdot is the first I've heard of it, and I pay reasonable attention to the main news services here in Dublin. It's a little premature to talk about considerable citizen reactions.
As background, the Minister in question is a PD, which makes him pretty close to holding views familiar to those in the US: I'm sure he'd be pretty comfortable in the right of the Democratic party or the left of the Republican, which makes him far right by European standards.
He hasn't used any of these, so it doesn't quite count as a review. Has anyone seen any of these devices work? So far I can't think of any actual hands-on reviews of
them.
Slashdot Mirror
To be more precise, try www.bbcshop.com and search for hitchhikers.
Includes an MP3 CD with all the episodes from the radio series.
Sure, the BBC sell them off their web-site, as do Amazon I expect. CD or cassette sets.
That depends on the definition of "trading in", which is rather the problem here. It's difficult to tie down on the Internet, and is in any case a legal concept defined by the laws.
Replying to my own article: they have gone mad.
Ernst & Young note on the regulations.
I wonder how they intend enforcing this. I can't see any way to do it unless there are agreements with the other countries involved.
I know this is probably a vain hope, but I'd like to see some actual infomation on the regulations. I'm quite suspicious of the things the media are saying - they don't sound right at all. In particular, I don't see that the EU can require a body not actually trading in the EU to pay VAT. They could and can require their own citizens to pay/charge it, but I don't see they can require overseas entities to do so.
Note that both AOL and EBay actually operate and provide services in the EU, so bloody well should have been charging VAT in the first place. These are not US entities, they are EU entities owned by US entities, so are subject to EU law.
I can't see it affects small US businesses at all. Or Slashdot subscriptions. It's not up to you to pay EU taxes, though the people you sell to might have to.
Of course, it's possible the EU have taken a leaf out of the US book and decided to enact extra-territorial laws ("Don't trade with Cuba because we say so, or we'll break you.").
Well, yes, but we are also pretty sure that there is water on Mars, and if it was heavily contaminated with mineral salts it wouldn't evaporate immediately, so the theory isn't all that far-fetched. It's a nice simple interpretation of the data. Now, can we send some probes to check it out please.
Of course, it could be little green aliens urinating from space, but that theory seems a little silly.
Slashdot is the first I've heard of it, and I pay reasonable attention to the main news services here in Dublin. It's a little premature to talk about considerable citizen reactions.
As background, the Minister in question is a PD, which makes him pretty close to holding views familiar to those in the US: I'm sure he'd be pretty comfortable in the right of the Democratic party or the left of the Republican, which makes him far right by European standards.
He hasn't used any of these, so it doesn't quite count as a review. Has anyone seen any of these devices work? So far I can't think of any actual hands-on reviews of them.