Friday 15 May 2015

Are the #EU #VAT rules discriminating against low turnover businesses in the marketplace?

Juliet McKenna of the EU VAT Action Campaign say they are discriminatory, not just against small businesses, but also against people who are unable to be in paid work for a host of reasons. Juliet says,
New digital technologies and business opportunities are proving invaluable for those working from home for a whole range of reasons. People who specifically benefit from being able to work at home include those with autism, agoraphobia, depression, social anxiety, long-term physical illnesses, and mobility issues. Such people can and do run successful businesses because they’re able to work on their own terms and for the hours that suit them, using IT and the internet. Many are otherwise unable to work.
The EU claims it is anti-discrimination yet here we have its own rules which are discriminating against a significant sector of the population. The only way for the EU to achieve its aim of a free market place and a truly level playing field for businesses is to remove the barriers it has put in place that are causing the suffering and demise of so many low-turnover businesses.

Even not-for-profit ventures such as the planned Science Fiction Foundation's Terry Pratchett ebook has fallen victim to the problem of #VATMOSS. As Juliet says,
Any small charity wishing to publish specialist books for a target audience will find themselves in the same position, with the same unpalatable choices.
The EU was never intended to cause such havoc, nor to put in place so many obstacles to free trade. The time has come for the EU to accept that it is failing in what it tried to achieve and rescind the existing rules for low-turnover businesses whilst there are still some of them trading that can be saved.

The alternative is truly scary: all online sales will only be via 3rd party marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Folksy, ETSY, etc... and many of the choices offered by independent sellers will have gone for good!

Juliet's article may be read in full on the EU VAT Action website here:
http://euvataction.org/2015/05/15/these-eu-digital-vat-rules-mean-discrimination-from-local-to-global/

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