Japan to tax ALL foreign downloads - video games, videos, music, etc. etc.

[TopWargamer]

@TopWargamer 

Doubtful think it would be similar to Linus' situation when he needed to purchase Google Glass; he had to use somebody else's Credit Card in order to actually set the order even with a VPN.

Oh ya, true, because even if you make the NA servers think that you're from there so that you won't get taxed, that means you have to have a US or Canadian credit/debit card. That is for purchases though, so I'd imagine that if you're trying to download something that's free or paid for already, a VPN would work just fine, yes?

[TopWargamer]

Economic how? People spending the money abroad doesn't help Japan as a nation at all. What does help is having that money spent internally.

Or Japanese businesses can start producing something that their citizens would like more so than foreign media. The way I see it, there's a lack of local Japanese entertainment that Japanese citizens enjoy, so those citizens go off to foreign things that they like. Again, if Japanese businesses start producing things that their citizens like more so that Western media, than there wouldn't be a need for Japanese citizens to purchase foreign things.

[helping]

Economic how? People spending the money abroad doesn't help Japan as a nation at all. What does help is having that money spent internally.

By that logic we should all stop trading entirely. Foreign media is appealing to Japanese people, and Japanese media is appealing to Japanese people. The media in Japan should focus on Japanese media, not foreign. The Japanese media should produce something of equal or greater desirability. 

 

Artificially dampening foreign media infiltration and pushing people to buy from it's own nations venues is somewhat anticapitalist and goes against natural trade tendencies and prevents real trade equilibrium. Japan is definitely not the only one doing it, we all do it, just pointing that out. 

 

From a perfect perspective iIt doesn't benefit Japan because in theory that industry shouldn't exist if the foreign industry does it better. 

[mvitkun]

Oh ya, true, because even if you make the NA servers think that you're from there so that you won't get taxed, that means you have to have a US or Canadian credit/debit card. That is for purchases though, so I'd imagine that if you're trying to download something that's free or paid for already, a VPN would work just fine, yes?

As I stated in my first post I think that this will only apply to purchased downloads.

Assuming I'm correct,all the problems people see with enforcing it go away.

All they need to do is ensure that if a purchase is made on a Japanese credit card for some type of content on a foreign server the Japanese consumer tax is tacked onto it.

[dizmo]

Or Japanese businesses can start producing something that their citizens would like more so than foreign media. The way I see it, there's a lack of local Japanese entertainment that Japanese citizens enjoy, so those citizens go off to foreign things that they like. Again, if Japanese businesses start producing things that their citizens like more so that Western media, than there wouldn't be a need for Japanese citizens to purchase foreign things.

Flawed in that Japanese people have always been fond of foreign media. And, lets face it, not many countries have places like Hollywood that have insane budgets for blockbuster productions.

Someone writes an amazing novel, or say a really good album. You can't say "ok, Japanese person, you write something just as awesome." They'll still want to see what the original one was.

[dizmo]

By that logic we should all stop trading entirely. Foreign media is appealing to Japanese people, and Japanese media is appealing to Japanese people. The media in Japan should focus on Japanese media, not foreign. The Japanese media should produce something of equal or greater desirability. 

 

Artificially dampening foreign media infiltration and pushing people to buy from it's own nations venues is somewhat anticapitalist and goes against natural trade tendencies and prevents real trade equilibrium. Japan is definitely not the only one doing it, we all do it, just pointing that out. 

 

From a perfect perspective iIt doesn't benefit Japan because in theory that industry shouldn't exist if the foreign industry does it better. 

Taken a bit extreme there, really.

It's not like they're going to tax you for looking at media. They're going to tax purchases, just like they'd purchase a foreign book that you purchase, or CD that you buy and get shipped to Japan.

The only difference is that now you get taxed on digital items as well.

Japanese people have always had a love for Western media. Can you blame them? Look at Hollywood and it's multihundredmilliondollar productions.

People all over the world make awesome video games, and a large number come from Japan. You can also get awesome ones from the US. Having awesome ones in Japan won't change the urge to explore what else is out there.

[helping]

Taken a bit extreme there, really.

It's not like they're going to tax you for looking at media. They're going to tax purchases, just like they'd purchase a foreign book that you purchase, or CD that you buy and get shipped to Japan.

The only difference is that now you get taxed on digital items as well.

Japanese people have always had a love for Western media. Can you blame them? Look at Hollywood and it's multihundredmilliondollar productions.

People all over the world make awesome video games, and a large number come from Japan. You can also get awesome ones from the US. Having awesome ones in Japan won't change the urge to explore what else is out there.

That's not extreme at all, that's by definition  :mellow:

If a country claims capitalism it should be capitalist, instead of masquerading as one (as an umbrella statement, not targeting Japan). You don't tax the media because it has absolutely nothing to do with Japan, where Japanese media is, it's from Japan, and benefits from Japan. Foreign media is not, gains no benefits, does not use Japanese infrastructure, and is completely detached from the country. In that way it is more specifically a tariff and not just a plain old tax. 

 

Because Japanese people like foreign media is not a valid argument. If Japan excels at making video games, then the market should exist there and globally overshadow all other video game makers due to globalized trade and Japan just being better at it. The urge to explore and consuming other content will be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things of the local media produces enough content of interest.

 

Japanese and Korean, and Indian content is popular in America, is that a problem for America? No, our own content keeps the majority of interest. If any given product or service cannot maintain the business of the people without assistance then it should either contract or not exist. If any given nation produces X commodity superior, whether digital or tangible, it should succeed over what the people don't desire or have taste in. 

 

This is like soccer games where nobody keeps score and there is no such thing as a second place ribbon. 

 

I understand where you're coming from, but I'm using a much more rigid approach. 

[dizmo]

@helping

 

Let's take the three items stated in the headline and use those as an example. Movies, music and video games. If you were to buy the video game off the shelf in Japan (or CD or WHY), you would pay a tax. Regardless of where it comes from.

Apparently the same happens when you download them in Japan.

If you import that physical copy to Japan, you would be taxed.

So, just because something is digital, instead of a physical copy, why should it be treated any differently?

 

If I buy something in the US, and bring it into Canada (again, the three above) I get taxed at the border.

[helping]

@helping

 

Let's take the three items stated in the headline and use those as an example. Movies, music and video games. If you were to buy the video game off the shelf in Japan (or CD or WHY), you would pay a tax. Regardless of where it comes from.

Apparently the same happens when you download them in Japan.

If you import that physical copy to Japan, you would be taxed.

So, just because something is digital, instead of a physical copy, why should it be treated any differently?

 

If I buy something in the US, and bring it into Canada (again, the three above) I get taxed at the border.

Because it is not tangible and the taxation has no application because the item has no impact aside from taking business away (which it rightfully should in capitalism). For local media you can make an argument that it has physical roots in Japan, for imported media it does not.

 

This is the point where the internet is not becoming the internet and media derived from the internet is no longer global but instead "from Japan" and "from everywhere else."  Arguably their own digital media shouldn't be taxed, but I'd rather not get too deep into Japan's politics and that's not really what the current discussion is about anyway. If they don't do it already, they're probably better off taxing their own exported media with an optimized value (as bizarre as that sounds) 

 

But those are just my ideas, I could be wrong. 

[totjup5]

WTF JAPAN

[Ertman]

I don't think most understand what is happening here. Many posters going off on tangents, with little relevance to what japan is actually doing with this taxation policy.

[JonC23]

Makes sense, the tax rate over there is only 5%.

[Kirihuna]

It's a good idea imo.

[Threebuddies]

Hopefully the US does not get any ideas from this...

[0vert]

Don't some countries already pay VAT on ebooks and such? I don't see how paying VAT on digital purchases could be considered unfair.

[Kirihuna]

Hopefully the US does not get any ideas from this...

Because you don't want to pay for the same taxes that you do on food, gas, and anything else?

[qwertywarrior]

"however, sold through domestic Japanese servers are taxed."

 

so by that logic if i used a US VPN then i wont be taxed ?

[Alex780]

Are they out of their mind?

[Biggerisbetter]

I don't see anything wrong with what Japan is doing. It's a great idea personally.  

[JAKEBAB]

We don't want xbones in our country only ps4s lol

[Blue fellow]

Because you don't want to pay for the same taxes that you do on food, gas, and anything else?

 

This isn't a sales tax, it's an import tax.

[TheProfosist]

I understand what they are doing their trying to keep the businees inside their nation.

[Kirihuna]

This isn't a sales tax, it's an import tax.

so we don't pay import tax on food, gas, or anything else?

[TheProfosist]

so we don't pay import tax on food, gas, or anything else?

The US is one of the few places without import taxes on most things.

[Kirihuna]

The US is one of the few places without import taxes on most things.

Only with those countries that we have FTAs with?