iTunes Store invoice w. VAT?

von Bordwehr wrote:
Do you get those apps for every business somewhere other than the iTunes Store?

I've encountered the same problem - being told apps are for non commercial use - personal only etc. I have an Apple ID - which I use when I purchase products via their online buisness store - which asks for my VAT number. I use a Macbook Pro for buisness, recently uppgraded to Mountain Lion via the App Store - as encouraged by Apple. However have been told that this is for personal use not commercial?????

However with the move to iPad (I use for buiness), iPhone (I use for business) and increasingly Mac App store (I use for business) it seems Apple T&Cs suggest that these are not allowed to be used for business in the UK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Exactly how am I suppose to run a business on kit sold to me for business if I cannaot run software on it?

I'm not trying to play the system - simply buy/license software for use on my various Apple kit and correctly record it in my accounts as required by HMRC tax/VAT. But how are you supposed to legimitley purchase apps for use in business on your iphone, ipad and mac (now virtually everything goes through the app store?

I've looking for that for weeks with no avail.

In the EU, when selling to non companies, you apply the VAT rate of the country you're selling from. It's interesting to note that in some countries, a legal receipt is needed after the purchase for the local IRS.

So even for normal customers, missing legal receipts in the EU can be a problem.

If you're a company, even a freelancer, when you buy things for your work, you need detailed information about VAT. First because you will remove the amount without VAT from your earnings, and second because that VAT will be returned to you or balanced with the VAT your business owe.

In case you buy inside EU countries. For example your company is in the UK and you get an invoice from Luxemburg. The price shouldn't include VAT (Because it will be a pain in the *** to get it back from the Luxemburg tax authorities, but also by law).

For a simple app it might not make sense, but if you spend serious amounts of money in apps for your business it would be nice to do it right.

• Having the right information in the invoice.
• Charging VAT when it's needed.

Amazon does it. And even exposes some limits to this. That is clear information right from your account dashboard.

Why Apple is so secretive? I don't know.

My recommendation is that you try to buy from the author if possible till they clear these things.

Hello

I have been batteling bwith thois for weeks too.I am a UK accountant and buy software / apps etc on itunes, and should be able to claim VAT back. However itunes say I an only charged Luxembourg VAT (where they are based).

It is virtually impossible to claimn VAT for a foreign country, unless the amount is significant, as the costs of doing so is too high.

If you have a VAT registration number (I Have) and give it to itunes to verify, thay should not charge VAT to me on my account. I have exactly this arrangement with Skype.

itunes are refusing to play ball, simply batting back to me saying get it from Luxembourg!

Unfair, and not very client focussed.

I will be persuing this with them and the UK VAT authorities, and will post my finding here.

Like many big companies, they now believe they have enough customer weight to do what they want...so did woolworths and HMV!

By the way - if you are based in Luxembourg , and VAT registered there, no problem. Claim the VAT back easily! Good for them.

Accountants for justice

Good luck!

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What a con. Why if these people have paid vat and run a legit business can't they reclaim their vat? If you sell to a business to use the products for business as you have advertised, then they should be able to reclaim the vat. If it hasn't been charged then that's different however if they have then you should be supplying them

With a vat invoice which they can then reclaim.

Well, for instance if you join the iOS dev or Mac Dev programmes you pay irish VAT, and I doubt a software development programme can carry a condition of only personal use... I have been trying to get VAT refunded from Apple already once many year ago, but they do not seem to know how to do things properly. I think this is unlawful behaviour as rules about VAT payments are quite clear and not open to arbitrary interpretations. I wonder if they get away with it as it means more money for the Revenue Commissioners (the equivalent of the Inland Revenue in Ireland).