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EU takes France, Luxembourg to court over low VAT on e-books

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Published 22 February 2013

The European Commission is taking France and Luxembourg to court for applying reduced tax rates on the sale of electronic books, which the EU executive says breaks current EU rules.

Since January 2012, France and Luxembourg have applied reduced value added tax (VAT) rates to the sale of e-books of 7% and 3% respectively.

Under EU rules, governments can apply reduced VAT rates to a limited list of goods and services which includes books, but currently not e-books.

"Failure to comply with this legislation by France and Luxembourg results in serious distortions of competition to the detriment of traders from other EU member states," the Commission said in a statement on Thursday.

The Commission has said similar goods and services should be subject to the same tax rates and that technological advances should be taken into account, but legislative proposals under a new VAT strategy are only expected by the end of 2013.

Rules on VAT on e-services that take effect from 2015 will end the unequal treatment of e-books and paper books, the Commission said.

Digital publications such as e-books are designed to be read on mobile and other electronic devices, such as Amazon's Kindle or Apple Inc's iPad.

If the court rules that the two countries have contravened EU law, it could ultimately lead to the imposition of fines.

EurActiv.com with Reuters

COMMENTS

  • We are sick of EC sending to the European court all the states-members which dare to say NO to Germany. We are sick of EC. We do not trust at all EC. EC does not understand what happens in the world.

    By :
    Southern Alliance
    - Posted on :
    23/02/2013
  • e-books are electronic devices ! It has nothing to do with a book ! A book is written in Paper !
    The low tax are only for books!
    It's logic!
    Why should other member states paying normal tax and France or Luxembourg the lower for an electronic devices one ?
    Not fair !

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    24/02/2013
  • @ Southern Alliance
    For such a comment you are wrong here ....

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    24/02/2013
  • @Southern Alliance
    It seems you lack of European policies !

    This has been decided by 27Heads of Gov and not by Germany alone !!!

    By :
    an european
    - Posted on :
    24/02/2013
  • @an european
    It seems that you lack knowledge of the right of the strongest.

    Fortunatelty, in the upcoming months Germany will lose its power.

    Germany and Europe do not go together. A person can either be a European or a German. We want a European Germany not a German Europe.

    Of course, it is about time that Germany pay WW2 Reparations to the Hellenic Republicc and the other countries.

    By :
    Southern Alliance
    - Posted on :
    11/04/2013
Background: 

In March 2011, the Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several companies active in the e-book publishing sector in several member states (>> Read Commission memo).

The Commission and the UK Office of Fair Trading investigated in parallel and in close cooperation whether arrangements for the sale of e-books may breach competition rules.

Last December,  Brussels closed an antitrust inquiry into e-book prices after Apple and four international publishers agreed to ease pricing restrictions on Amazon and other retailers.

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