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Apple Outlines App Store Pricing Changes for Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Germany, and South Korea

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Apple today informed developers about some upcoming pricing changes for apps and in-app purchases in Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Germany, and South Korea, with Apple introducing a new VAT in some countries and adjusting pricing in others.

apple-developer-banner.jpeg

Apple says that when taxes or foreign exchange rates change, prices on the App Store in certain regions and some proceeds need to be adjusted. In Zimbabwe and Cameroon, proceeds will be adjusted and proceeds will be calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.
  • Cameroon - New value-added tax of 19.25%
  • Zimbabwe - New value-added tax of 14.5%
In Germany and South Korea, prices of apps and in-app purchases are increasing, but auto-renewable subscription prices will remain the same.
  • Germany - Value-added tax rate reversion to 19% after temporary decrease to 16%. App Store pricing will not change.
  • South Korea - Prices of alternative tiers for apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) will be adjusted to allow for additional locally relevant pricing conventions.
When the changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps for developers will be updated, and app pricing can be changed any time using App Store Connect. Full pricing changes are available on Apple's site. [PDF]

Article Link: Apple Outlines App Store Pricing Changes for Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Germany, and South Korea
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/10/app-store-pricing-changes/
Almost makes me wish for AppleCoin; so I can prebuy into the currency used within the Apple ecosystem. Just to be on the safe side of any fluctuations. 💰
 
Euro prices should be the same as USD given the exchange rate over the last 6 months !
(Unfortunately it is not, while Euro prices include taxes it is much more close to USD prices than the price tags currently used...)
 
coolfactor said:
Yup, double/triple dipping. Make a 1.00, pay 0.75 of it to the government when all is said and done.
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Right? I can see the argument for taxing cigarettes to cover public healthcare costs (if the tax actually was high enough to cover it), but some of the taxes are absurd. I pay my unleaded gas tax upfront via a bonus $75 fee when I register my car because it doesn't use gas and therefore they won't be able to collect it over the course of the year. Nevermind the fact that I put less than 1000 miles on it a year. (But they have no issue taxing me extra on my electricity usage.)

But think of the children I don't have or want to see!
 
These governments figure by making it more expensive to buy online (adding taxes) its more competitive, so Online retailers are not drawing consumers away from retail outlets.
 
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19% WOW! I don't want to hear a word form these countries about how the App Store charges 15% and 30% to their developers for creating an entire platform, developing api's, hosting, selling, supporting etc. When the government takes 20% (which is close to what Apple takes because they are also tacking 20% on Apples 30%) for doing absolutely nothing.
 
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SBlue1 said:
Well my taxes don’t pay the government. They pay my schools, police stations, hospitals, firestations, trains, autobahns, universities so I am fine with that. Sure it could be less. But then some of that stuff would cost extra. It is what it is.
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Yeah? So what's the income tax paying for?
 
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Altivec88 said:
19% WOW! I don't want to hear a word form these countries about how the App Store charges 15% and 30% to their developers for creating an entire platform, developing api's, hosting, selling, supporting etc. When the government takes 20% (which is close to what Apple takes because they are also tacking 20% on Apples 30%) for doing absolutely nothing.
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Absolutely nothing, except everything that makes it possible to live in a nice society instead of in a dirt hole constantly robbed and abused by gangs/tribes.

Have fun reading about Swedish taxes if you want to go off about taxes.
 
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SBlue1 said:
Well my taxes don’t pay the government. They pay my schools, police stations, hospitals, firestations, trains, autobahns, universities so I am fine with that. Sure it could be less. But then some of that stuff would cost extra. It is what it is.
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So you think some kid buying a game on an App Store should pay for all those things. In my country those things are paid for with property taxes. I know there would be a riot in our country if the government charged that absurd amount on purchases, but I guess if the people are okay with it, then it's all good. enjoy.
 
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MacRumors said:
In Germany and South Korea, prices of apps and in-app purchases are increasing, but auto-renewable subscription prices will remain the same.
  • Germany - Value-added tax rate reversion to 19% after temporary decrease to 16%. App Store pricing will not change.
Click to expand...
These two statements contradict each other. I assume the latter is correct, since prices didn’t change when they went to 16%, either.

(although Apple did provide a 3% refund for their own subscriptions)
 
SBlue1 said:
Well my taxes don’t pay the government. They pay my schools, police stations, hospitals, firestations, trains, autobahns, universities so I am fine with that. Sure it could be less. But then some of that stuff would cost extra. It is what it is.
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It wouldn’t be a problem if corporations like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, etc didn’t get away with paying so little tax as well as billionaires like trump
 
svanstrom said:
Absolutely nothing, except everything that makes it possible to live in a nice society instead of in a dirt hole constantly robbed and abused by gangs/tribes.

Have fun reading about Swedish taxes if you want to go off about taxes.
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Yes... Absolutely nothing to do with the App. With that line of reasoning, your government should just have direct access to your bank account and take out as much as they want just because "they make it possible to live in a nice society". In both cases they are just taking money that has nothing to do with the things you mention. Again, if you are happy with it. enjoy.
 
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Altivec88 said:
Yes... Absolutely nothing to do with the App. With that line of reasoning, your government should just have direct access to your bank account and take out as much as they want just because "they make it possible to live in a nice society". In both cases they are just taking money that has nothing to do with the things you mention. Again, if you are happy with it. enjoy.
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Please tell me you're not actually this "uneducated".

So the government should only take taxes on services rendered by the police to pay for the police; so if you're a victim of a crime you pay "taxes" to fund their part in solving it, but if you're not a victim you don't pay taxes to the police. And you only pay taxes to build the roads that you travel on, and no other roads.

So no taxes unless you see a direct link to what you're using?

(And just to play along here I of course chose to, in your favour, completely ignore that the government is what's structuring the whole ass infrastructure that actually makes it possible to have a functioning internet in their country; things like coordinating frequencies for cellular services, and making sure it's possible to put fiber in the ground for wired connections. And so on and on and on. Making the local government very much doing plenty of things directly related to said app.)
 
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How is the long standing hyperinflation in Zimbabwe handled?

According to Trading Economics, the annual inflation rate in Zimbabwe was 540% in February 2020. The annual inflation rate had risen to 676% in March 2020 with a bleak economic outlook due to the effects of a drought in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I can't imagine being in a line to buy groceries, knowing I'm paying significantly less if I arrived ten minutes earlier.
 
svanstrom said:
Please tell me you're not actually this "uneducated".

So the government should only take taxes on services rendered by the police to pay for the police; so if you're a victim of a crime you pay "taxes" to fund their part in solving it, but if you're not a victim you don't pay taxes to the police. And you only pay taxes to build the roads that you travel on, and no other roads.

So no taxes unless you see a direct link to what you're using?

(And just to play along here I of course chose to, in your favour, completely ignore that the government is what's structuring the whole ass infrastructure that actually makes it possible to have a functioning internet in their country; things like coordinating frequencies for cellular services, and making sure it's possible to put fiber in the ground for wired connections. And so on and on and on. Making the local government very much doing plenty of things directly related to said app.)
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Please tell me that you are not so full of yourself that you need to resort to personal attacks just because someone has a different opinion than you. Don't you worry about me, I am highly educated and extremely successful. I think I'll get by in life without you teaching me.

It does appear however, your swollen "educated" head has a reading disability. Where did I say "no taxes unless you see a direct link". My comment was answering your assertion that the government has something to do with App purchases. They do not, and that is 100% factually correct. I also did not say their shouldn't be any tax applied to the App store or any other purchase for that matter. I am just saying that 20% is unproportionately high to the services that money will be used for. Taxation is complex and unless I analyze all aspects of taxation for each country, its impossible to come to a complete conclusion. But in general, as I already mentioned, I believe property taxes should be the main driver of tax revenue for the services brought up and not some kid buying a game on the internet.

Your rebuttal was because the government provides nice things, they are justified to take what they want, wherever they want with out being questioned. So if they raised it to 40%, 80%, 600%. Would you have a problem with it then? If your answer is yes, then the only difference between you and me, is the rate at which it becomes a problem. I have no issue with disagreeing over rates, everyone sees things differently. But next time, check your personal attacks at the door.
 
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So@So@So said:
Euro prices should be the same as USD given the exchange rate over the last 6 months !
(Unfortunately it is not, while Euro prices include taxes it is much more close to USD prices than the price tags currently used...)
Click to expand...

France for example has a DRM tax for any device that can be used to copy music or video...

Not just about the VAT.
 
Altivec88 said:
Taxation is complex and unless I analyze all aspects of taxation for each country, its impossible to come to a complete conclusion.
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Then stop with the hyperbole about the government doing nothing to enable the system that allows for functioning markets (like this one); because not only are you easily shown to be wrong, but you yourself just said that you haven't got enough to stand on to make a conclusion.
 
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