Comments | coyoteknight: Look out your Virtual Economy is being looked at

coyoteknight

Look out your Virtual Economy is being looked at

Oct 17, 2006 08:28

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061016/wr_nm/life_secondlife_tax_dcRead more... )

Comments 4

bohotremere October 17 2006, 13:53:15 UTC

Well, that's the rub, see. Inasmuch as WoW is concerned, it is technically against the ToS and EULA to sell the virtual gold and items in the game for real-world money, hence the repeated mass-bannings of gold farmers. If they tax the pants off gold-sellers, that's fine by me.

On the other hand...if they want to tax me for, say, my Giantstalker's armor that I put effort into the game for and spent time in Molten Core to earn, but have spent no other money on other than the (already taxed via sales tax) 60-day game cards I purchase to play the game - that's another matter entirely. I'd hate to have to give up WoW; it's great fun...but if I'm going to be taxed on everything from my Bone Slicing Hatchets to my armor to my ammo and pet food...well, I don't think I'll be able to *afford* to play the game.

coenwulfe October 17 2006, 14:06:38 UTC

Realistically, the latter would never happen. Besides being a logistical nightmare to implement, it's sheer insanity. An overall tax, yes, I can see that. Taxation for every in-game item? No way. That's not even close to the ballpark.

bohotremere October 17 2006, 18:00:26 UTC

But I paid sales tax when I purchased the program disks in the first place. I pay sales tax every time I buy a time card. To my mind, any further taxation would be taxing something I've already paid all the taxes required on. *shrug* That's just me however.

wusteph October 17 2006, 16:40:24 UTC

Take out the words 'World of Warcraft and Second Life' and insert 'EverQuest' and you have the same article they wrote on that subject a few years ago.
You can see how fervently the IRS pursued it....
Anyone want to buy my EQ account with it's phat plat and r0xx0ring high end items??? No?!?!? Damn.....