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Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by notahacker on Monday October 29, 2018 @01:50PM (#18329494)
Also, what seems to have provoked this tax in the UK specifically is the tendency for such companies to artificially lower their profits to more or less avoid UK corporation tax altogether by claiming that sales of UK clicks to UK companies handled by UK based account managers were in fact completed in Ireland...
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by sofaofthedamned on Monday October 29, 2018 @01:51PM (#18329505)
Exactly. I'm no fan of the current UK Government, but their hand has been forced. I'd rather all countries get together and ratify a standard for where profits can be realised. Hopefully this will open the dam for the others to get involved.
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by walshemj on Monday October 29, 2018 @01:58PM (#18329577)
That is what Philip Hamond (last sane person in the cabinet) said - that of there was international agreement they would go with that.
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by 7952 on Monday October 29, 2018 @02:27PM (#18329875)
Although isn't it the case that the actual product is almost entirely developed outside of the UK. It doesn't seem unreasonable to repatriate money to pay for that. It is exactly what happens to physical products that are manufactured overseas. The correct way of taxing that is VAT.
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by notahacker on Monday October 29, 2018 @03:17PM (#18330383)
Companies aren't repatriating profits to Ireland or Bermuda because they're developing the product there...
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by shady-lady on Monday October 29, 2018 @05:35PM (#18331747)
If you built a software product, would you consider your customer service & sales staff part of that? How about the people who ensure the systems are kept running? How about the accountants & lawyers who are eligible to practice in those jurisdictions and know the relevant tax codes/laws?

Do you think your software product, if made in USA, would be bought in France or Germany or Italy or anywhere but North America if you did not have someone who worked in that timezone and spoke that language and knew that culture?

Would those people who did that role be considered an important part of your company, considering you would not have anywhere near the same number of sales from those regions if they did not exist?

To pre-rempt the "I'd outsource it" response. When 7+ figures of revenue(& profit) are at stake, I can assure you that you would change your mind. Or if you would not, the new guy the board hires to replace you would.

Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by jakobegger on Monday October 29, 2018 @03:23PM (#18330442)
VAT only applies to consumer sales - if they sell to businesses, there's no VAT to collect.
Re:Tech giants face 2% UK digital services tax by subjectHarold on Monday October 29, 2018 @02:11PM (#18329703)
There was a recent article highlighting that Ed Sheeran paid more in tax in 2017 than Amazon or Starbucks...yes, I don't think the current system works well - https://www.fastcompany.com/90251523/ed-sheeran-paid-more-uk...

The only possible criticism of the UK govt is that they made this bed for themselves by aggressively narrowing the tax base.