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EU defines high-end smartphones as eligible for high-end taxation

18 Dec, 2008 | Read the news | Post your comment
EU defines high-end smartphones as eligible for high-end taxation - read the full textThe European Commission is considering taxes on some mobile phones equipped with GPS and/or TV receivers. The idea is for fat-on-features handsets to be treated as multifunctional devices rather than mere phones, thus making them liable for import duties ranging from 3 to 14 percent. For some...

 

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> In reply to Frankie @ 2009-01-03 14:32 from LB90 - click to readImposing protection policies (high import duties) in order to oblige manufacturers to set factories in the country is not smart. the entrepreneur mind does not function that way. at the same time the costs for the consumer are raised. you are preventing ur country from using the tech edge devices, not only luxury ones, and hurting the competition. Instead, i think would be better let others (China, India) do what they do best and identify what the country (EU) can do best and redirect all resources (people, tech, capital, etc)in that direction. trying to artificially protect incompetitive industries, will throw EU out of the game.

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  • 2009-01-06 09:12
  • T4xM

Taxation just for imported one (those crappy tv-enabled chinese mockups). Also we've seen nokia taking advantage of moving all factories down to china or phillipines and mobile prices remained the same. Take those factories back and no tax will be added to those. Also there is no recession on somebody having the money to buy a $500 euros phone.

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  • 2009-01-03 14:32
  • LB90

> In reply to Steve @ 2008-12-19 11:45 from MJc0 - click to readyes, steve. tax money is spent on corruption.

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  • 2008-12-23 02:37
  • PExE

I'm not sure if many of you understand this concept. The EU is taxing phones that are IMPORTED. Many posters have addressed the solution "Build the phones in the EU, and no taxation will occur on these high-end phones." They likely want to discourage major companies like Nokia and Ericsson from building in China and promote building within the EU. It does seem like a bit of a "cash-grab", but that's only if you're looking from one stand point. Tax dollars are spent to better the country, if your country is wasting the money (like the Irish fellow's example) then perhaps you should elect better officials.

My 2cents

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  • 2008-12-22 21:35
  • N5j{

if this takes power imagine all the other nations will be in the top of the eu nations ........... obviously when countries like india, china and japan are more inclined into how to improve the information technology infrastructure where as here eu nations are planning to tax the high end technology ............ eu already has the biggest share of high end technologies and i can see other countries kickin eu nations butt in a few yrs from now .......... and y????? just because some IdOt shameless moron wants to fill his pockets with the money earned from the sweat and blood of the hard working citizen of his own nation ............. find that idot and imprison him for life and make sure he dosent get a chance to even see a mobile phone for the rest of his miserable life.

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  • 2008-12-22 14:51
  • MF{P

Just think how complicated this will be for suppliers and resellers - at the moment all mobile phones are treated one way for VAT, imagine having two schemes and having to get approval from *Brussels* which scheme any product has to be treated against.......

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  • 2008-12-22 14:37
  • mCSY

I seriusly have doubts on this EU move. Other countries try to incourage the tech advance (Japan is an example), EU is going in the opposite direction. Some comments do not make sense. Protection policies be raising import duties stimulate inproductivity and inefficense. Do not protect jobs and economies that cannot be competitive. try to stimulate those which are competitive. Probably the resources will go in that direction, making the entire country economy competitive.

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  • 2008-12-22 09:00
  • T4xM

> In reply to Shane @ 2008-12-20 12:24 from MMt{ - click to readDude, its ppl like u dat drain society

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  • 2008-12-22 00:09
  • 0TYZ

We already pay local countryßs tax in EU, this is about EU import duty tax for phones imported from outside EU. I suggest Nokia dropes it's overpirced prices, or give European workers the job...we goota eat too? Or are we gonna let China take our jobs?

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  • 2008-12-20 13:09
  • nxEu

> In reply to Steve @ 2008-12-19 15:22 from MJc0 - click to readWhat a stupid comment Steve work it out 10 percent of €600 is €60 and i know i would sure as hell rather have it in my pocket rather than the EU's stop talkin your BS. I dont know what planet you live on but i live in Ireland and the budget has screwed us even VAT has gone up and what do they do with the tax money resurface roads that dont need done and then dig them up because they forgot to put the pipes that needed to go down, also they build new surgical wards in hospitals that dont have any surgones so they never use them and close the hospitals 3 years later! I dont know a single goverment that uses its tax money wisely its liked getting kicked in the teeth they screw me with taxs and then piss the money away! So go to bed and stop trying to talk with the big boys!

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  • 2008-12-20 12:24
  • MMt{

all right! So, now the freaks need money from Mobile users.


Hahahaha! But still, as the news says, it will take them 6 months to come on terms with this Rule ... !

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  • 2008-12-20 11:44
  • PWYY

does that mean the iphone will still be tax exempt as it doesnt technically include any of those features?

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  • 2008-12-20 02:22
  • v0gj

Another tax?
as if the price of almost everything wasnt expensive enuf in EU.
while several places r suffering from recession and a lack of demand for goods, the EU decides to tax phones and reduce demand more?
y do they all of a sudden decide to tax phones? its like switzerlands tax on mp3 players with "high" memory capacity. because they decided that they must "protect" the artists (you r automatically treated as thief b4 buying). so far i cant find any record of artists they hv helped. also ppl can just as easily download illegal music on devices with smaller capacities.

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  • 2008-12-19 23:56
  • Ac3q

> In reply to justin @ 2008-12-19 12:52 from pTPe - click to readf k u justin

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  • 2008-12-19 23:37
  • nDAd

EU is getting hopeless, lok at those fat ass that sat together and talking about how to drain people's money, sad regions

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  • 2008-12-19 22:35
  • M3s@

enough of taxes

the euro currency is already a tax by itself

since the introduction of euro currency all the prices immediately climbed too much

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  • 2008-12-19 20:59
  • 0V7Z

i already pay tax anyway,,if i buy sim free for £400 if i look at reciept it says n82 £325 ,,tax @ 17.5% £75 ,,and its same with mobile contract if you on 20 contract you pay £17.25 then the rest is tax,,cheeky blighters

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  • 2008-12-19 18:55
  • nGv@

Nokia should stop crying, just produce all high-end devices in Europe. Already enough phones are produced in China

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  • 2008-12-19 18:04
  • mygt

This is a kind of technological homicide.

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  • 2008-12-19 16:32
  • PSYC

> In reply to Steve @ 2008-12-19 11:45 from MJc0 - click to readYes i do.

  • Reply
  • 2008-12-19 16:16
  • nGAa
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