We've been hearing for some time about Australia and New Zealand's interest in implementing a tax on ebooks and foreign companies . We can now say that this tax is already in effect, but it hasn't been, and isn't, exactly what we were told.
Specifically, the change with this new tax is that it will apply to foreign companies with annual revenue exceeding $60.000 in goods and services. This means that ebook stores or other foreign companies that do not reach this threshold will not have to pay this surprising and controversial tax.
Therefore, online bookstores like Amazon or Kobo will have to pay the tax in New Zealand and thus increase their prices for their end customers, while other smaller bookstores will not have to do so because they will not have to pay this tax.
New Zealand seems to have declared war on Amazon and Kobo, the two big ebook companies
Initially, this 15% tax on total revenue —a figure many companies will find unsustainable and likely to leave the country—applied only to businesses and corporations with assets in New Zealand. However, it now applies to foreign companies that own property or provide services to New Zealand residents. With the minimum tax rate applied, the injustice is even greater and illogical, as it will likely drive large corporations, which in many cases are the biggest investors, out of New Zealand and any other country that tries to do the same.
Fortunately, this tax has not yet been implemented in Spain and may not be thanks to the EU , but we shouldn't stand out too easily because in Spain we are more prone to doing things badly than doing things well , don't you think?