The IRS Wants To Tax In-Game Assets
- Thread starter Stavrose
- Start date
SNASQUATCH
New member
Everybody wants to make a dime off of everything. Unfortunately for the IRS, I think you'd have a hard time assigning ownership of anything in an online game to an individual. The electrons which make up those items are the ultimate property of the gaming company, we just provide the LABOR to make them.
Uncle Sam is also talking about taxing EMAIL, and that scares me more...lol
Uncle Sam is also talking about taxing EMAIL, and that scares me more...lol
Cubby
New member
believe it or not the best ally in this against the i.r.s. is probaly soe/blizzard or your company of choice.
if a player can be taxed than they must have legal ownership which would open up a huge can of worms for these companies. i mean im not only talking about things like ebay sales but stuff like the NGE. for example what if as a ch i could sue soe for the nge based on loss of valuable goods?
if a player can be taxed than they must have legal ownership which would open up a huge can of worms for these companies. i mean im not only talking about things like ebay sales but stuff like the NGE. for example what if as a ch i could sue soe for the nge based on loss of valuable goods?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cubby @ Jan 18 2006, 03:56 PM) [snapback]30567[/snapback][/center]
And thats why they make a point of telling you that items have no value and are not to be sold/traded/etc for real world assets. Almost every EULA has some part where they state that items are intangibles. They try to cover their own hind-ends by telling you you don't really own it.
The concept of a lost goods lawsuit, such as the CH/nge thing, strikes me as hilarious. I was a ch and while my pets weren't that great, the biggest rewards from such a suit would probably come in the form of punitive damages for emotional distress due the loss of pets or however it would be legally worded.
Nice to know that some people (like cubby) can always be counted on to provide a geniunely well-thought out and objective opinion, rather than endless flame wars. That is one of the things I appreciate the most about the WH community, the relatively high intelligence level, not just endless 1337 d00d speak.
And thats why they make a point of telling you that items have no value and are not to be sold/traded/etc for real world assets. Almost every EULA has some part where they state that items are intangibles. They try to cover their own hind-ends by telling you you don't really own it.
The concept of a lost goods lawsuit, such as the CH/nge thing, strikes me as hilarious. I was a ch and while my pets weren't that great, the biggest rewards from such a suit would probably come in the form of punitive damages for emotional distress due the loss of pets or however it would be legally worded.
Nice to know that some people (like cubby) can always be counted on to provide a geniunely well-thought out and objective opinion, rather than endless flame wars. That is one of the things I appreciate the most about the WH community, the relatively high intelligence level, not just endless 1337 d00d speak.
R
Ruler-jimbo
Guest
they should go die in a car fire...i dont even pay taxes yet!
Darein
Retired SWG Bounty Hunter
They don't just tell you that you don't own any in-game items, they make you agree to not owning any of them everytime you log in (I think, or maybe just the first time you logged in/signed up). I don't know if it was in the launchpad agreement or not, I only read that like twice, if that.
Darein
Retired SWG Bounty Hunter
I'm not really so worried about taxing online games though, because like the guy in the article says then they'd have to start taxing other intangibles like trading in a Monopoly game. LOL
However I do think taxing over the internet will become reality as more people buy and take their potential tax profits from physical walk-in businesses.
Overall my complaint about taxes isn't that we have to pay them, or pay so much (it could indeed be worse, and give less benefits to the population), it's the forms and terminology and hassle of filing tax returns and such. SO a little rant...
Why can't they keep it all in some database, and just ask you if things change about you that actually matter as far as taxes once a year? You could just fill out a simple form online or something. Then they can also tell you WHY you owe that much, or don't get that much of a return, so that you aren't constantly wondering if you're getting the shaft. Finally, how about questions in plain English, instead of with words you have to go look up which have 5 paragraph definitions!?
If I have to spend 5 hours filing taxes per year I'm going to whine about it. If I deserve a tax return, I deserve the return, I shouldn't have to work for it (again/more).
However I do think taxing over the internet will become reality as more people buy and take their potential tax profits from physical walk-in businesses.
Overall my complaint about taxes isn't that we have to pay them, or pay so much (it could indeed be worse, and give less benefits to the population), it's the forms and terminology and hassle of filing tax returns and such. SO a little rant...
Why can't they keep it all in some database, and just ask you if things change about you that actually matter as far as taxes once a year? You could just fill out a simple form online or something. Then they can also tell you WHY you owe that much, or don't get that much of a return, so that you aren't constantly wondering if you're getting the shaft. Finally, how about questions in plain English, instead of with words you have to go look up which have 5 paragraph definitions!?
If I have to spend 5 hours filing taxes per year I'm going to whine about it. If I deserve a tax return, I deserve the return, I shouldn't have to work for it (again/more).
