blotunga: Another one bytes the dust...

Enebias: This REALLY pisses me off! (cit. Duke Nukem)
I would understand a little difference in price due to variable VAT (for example, here in Italy is as "little" as 22% of the total price) to compensate potential losses, but I'm sure it will become shamelessly outrageous as Steam, where 1€ =1$, with -as others already stated- a direct increase in price of nearly the 35%.
Damn, it seem that today every shop is just becoming a Steam key vending machine! It has been really sad to watch the downfall of Humble: it was once a great distribution site, but now I really see no reason to buy from it again.

Enebias: Don't tell me about bills! Let's make the Italian situation public: do you know how much a small business enterprise (and with small I mean boss+2/10 workers) has to pay in taxes every year in my country? I'll tell you: more or less from 45 to 65% of earnings, not counting the other bills, like rents on warehouses. Some official reports say that a few people touched 72%. And to add insult to injury, our government doesn't care if your customer pays: as long as there is an invoice, you must pay the taxes, no matter if you still didn't see a cent. So many are forced to shut down, drowned in debts because they are forced to pay VAT on something they don't even own. I don't know if this is the same in the rest of the world, but here it hurts pretty bad.

Punished_Snake: Sadly I know. In other countries taxes for business are extremely cheap compared to Italy. I think that in Romania are around 15%, here in Italy as you said are around 70%. What does it means? That if I gain 100€, I must pay at our government 70€, THEN with 30€ remaining I must pay workers and, finally, me.

There are so many wrong things here, that "gaming" problems are last on the list.

But the question remains: why I must pay a game a lot of money? I mean, I think each region, even in EU territories, MUST have its own price tag. You can't compare situation like the one from Germany to the Italy one. Just you can't. Because in EU territories there are rich territories and poor ones.

From this side, GOG is simply the best, offering the same price worldwide (in fact buying from GOG is cheapest).

blotunga: Actually you're a bit wrong. Tax is on net income, so you have your 100 euros to pay your workers etc and then you pay 31.4% of your profits as tax. If you want to get dividends then you pay 20% of the remaining sum as tax. Still it's very far from 70%

iippo: Well, HB certainly isnt the only place selling games and bundles at "affordable prices"...so if they want to shoot themselves into knee, its really their choice. Plenty of other sites willing to plug that cap.

Punished_Snake: Ok, I'm not very inside those question :)

Punished_Snake: But the question remains: why I must pay a game a lot of money? I mean, I think each region, even in EU territories, MUST have its own price tag. You can't compare situation like the one from Germany to the Italy one. Just you can't. Because in EU territories there are rich territories and poor ones.

Punished_Snake: I think HumbleBundle has lost its importance.
Not too much time ago when a bundle was released was an event: usually it included the best indie games you can find at the moment.

Now they simply throw away all the games they can, often repeating other bundle (like the Overlord one from Indiegala).

And finally this.

blotunga: Anyway, back to the topic, I rather like GOG's one world, one price strategy. I don't understand why entertainment stuff needs different pricing. You don't buy a BMW 50% cheaper in Russia, nor for 30% more than in the US.

Punished_Snake: I can understand it for retail games, but NOT for digital one.

Pheace: I wonder if that's still true actually, in the last decade the standard VAT rate has gone up considerably in Cyprus. However, the 0% tax rate (Zero Rate) exemption seems to be for these below among other things:

* Exports
* Commissions received from abroad for
exportation of goods

Strictly speaking, isn't that what GOG is doing? That would mean they pay no VAT at all.

paul1290: Now if you wanted to be really mean and pedantic about it, what GOG does is what some people like to call "tax avoidance".
Technically it's not illegal, but apparently it is frowned upon by some groups.

Pheace: I wonder if that's still true actually, in the last decade the standard VAT rate has gone up considerably in Cyprus. However, the 0% tax rate (Zero Rate) exemption seems to be for these below among other things:

* Exports
* Commissions received from abroad for
exportation of goods

Strictly speaking, isn't that what GOG is doing? That would mean they pay no VAT at all.

Mr.Caine: how many of them do AAA and hottest indie games bundles tho.? even if the price is dirt cheap I'm not paying for a bundle of games so obscure they don't even have a single review on metacritic.

SirPrimalform: Pretty sure VAT (on each game sale) is paid according to the location of the customer.