Leggomy Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 It says redwood ca because thats where EA is. Bioware is in Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HELhikari Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 That's odd. Almost sounds like a 6.5% sales tax is being tacked on. Are MMO subs taxable in some places? Why wouldn't they be? They're goods and services - it's probably subject to tax pretty much everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aalodar Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Why wouldn't they be? They're goods and services - it's probably subject to tax pretty much everywhere. they never have been taxed before on any other mmo subscription why would this one be different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tradieus Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 It's a tax. When I was buying things on the Origin website I was kinda shocked that there were taxes included on the items. I've never before been charged sales tax on an online store of any kind before, just the shipping cost. I personally use game time cards, which I purchased off the website and was charged tax for. My boyfriend on the other hand uses a credit card for his sub and was charged a small tax on top of the 14.99$. So I just assumed it was the same deal as my purchases being made on Origin through EA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theloneas Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I wasn't overbilled in regards to being charged mroe than they said . How-ever , i did only recieve "28 days" subscription for my " 30 day payment " , so , my account just got cancelled until they fix it . Nice heads up I just resubbed earlier and also only recieved 28 days..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HELhikari Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 yeah that's how it is over here (Germany), it's the seller's responsibility. however, it's nation-wide so the whole 'taxes different in every state' is a little confusing to me and I'll probably never understand it kidice: the Euro is 1,30 Dollar or something... (maybe more, maybe less, it changes daily...) you'd pay 13€ a month, not 16 (and I would definitely punch someone if they changed me 3€ more) Well, if you buy an item from the UK you'll pay our VAT rate (20%), not Germany's (19%, iirc?) Depending on where EA is processing their subscription payments in the EU, we may well end up paying Ireland's VAT rate, which I think is 23% atm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink_Saber Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 i live in texas and like is aid my rift only costs me 14.99. If Trion has no offices in Texas, but EA does (and they do, Bioware being in Austin), then that'd explain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saitada Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) EA has a habit of charging taxes for every purchase. I haven't checked recently if Hawaii taxes internet sales or purchases/services, but as I am only paying 14.99 for the game, I suspect not. We'll see when I re-activate my sub in a cpl weeks. ~Saitada *edit* Just did a quick check on laws in Hawaii... In Hawaii, H.B.1405 -- which was introduced in the Hawaii House of Representatives by Rep. Isaac W. Choy (D-24) -- would require out-of-state online retailers with affiliates in the state to collect and remit sales tax. So unless/until EA/Bioware opens an office in Hawaii.. thankfully I don't get charged a sales tax. Edited January 21, 2012 by Saitada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genesizs Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 why does trion and also when i played wow never cost me over 14.99, this is the first one ever to cost over 14.99 E.A. is involve , enuf said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aalodar Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 If Trion has no offices in Texas, but EA does (and they do, Bioware being in Austin), then that'd explain it. trion does have a office in texas, right here in austin to be exact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HELhikari Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 they never have been taxed before on any other mmo subscription why would this one be different? People not paying tax on internet sales in the US is a loophole, iirc. One a lot of states are trying to close - Amazon has agreements with several states to collect tax on orders by their residents. Tax has always been payable on in-state purchases as well, iirc. So it all depends on where the person is, where EA are processing the billing, and what that state or country's rules on tax are. In the UK I think game subscriptions would be subject to the standard rate of VAT (20%), if they're being processed here for an EU resident. People outside the EU wouldn't be charged VAT - although the place they're resident may technically want to collect tax from them. That's the rule across the whole of the EU, afaik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebular Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 The Texas state sales and use tax rate is 6.25%, but local taxing jurisdictions (cities, counties, special purpose districts, and transit authorities) may also impose sales and use tax up to 2% for a total maximum combined rate of 8.25%. Please review Guidelines for Collecting Local Sales and Use Tax for additional information on local sales and use tax. http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/local/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink_Saber Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) trion does have a office in texas, right here in austin to be exact. Yep, and I believe that as of January 1st, Texas was requiring online merchants with offices in Texas to charge state sales tax. Edit: Here's a little article I googled up on it while I was fact-checking myself: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-legislature/82nd-legislative-session/day-25-state-struggles-collect-online-sales-taxes/ Edited January 21, 2012 by Pink_Saber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aalodar Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 found this online i am sorry to those of you who stated this apparently this is a very new thing like jan 2012 in the good ole state of texas. Players in select states around the U.S. have found that their monthly subscription fee is slightly higher than expected. With the rise of many online subscription-based services, several states have begun to apply a tax to services that use such a model, and this tax is an additional cost that players are seeing added onto the base subscription rate. Specifically, residents of the following states will be charged this tax: - Arizona - Illinois - New Jersey - New York - Texas - Washington If you have any questions or concerns in regards to the subscription tax or the amount that will be added, please contact your state's Department of Revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romad Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I've been gaming for 15 years in mmo's.. EQ1, planetside, shadowbane, EQ2, DAOC, Rift, EVE online, Age of Conan, City of heroes, city of villains, DC universe online, Pirates of the burning sea, and MORE!!! and I have NEVER EVER paid taxes.. and this was while I lived in Kansas, California and Nebraska.. only now I get charged a tax.. This really makes me mad.. especially considering I live in a state with one of the highest tax rates in the nation.. So yes.. of course I would be a little skeptical when I see I'm suddenly charged $16.05 vs the normal 14.99. (I dont mind paying taxes.. I just raged at first because I thought ea was stealing some of my money.... I loathe EA... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnie Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) Well, if you buy an item from the UK you'll pay our VAT rate (20%), not Germany's (19%, iirc?) Depending on where EA is processing their subscription payments in the EU, we may well end up paying Ireland's VAT rate, which I think is 23% atm. haha yeah. that would be bad. we'll see tomorrow (I do anyway. when I checked earlier my account wasn't charged yet... mh) romand: you never paid taxes, but you should have lets just hope your financial services don't read your post and track you back ;D edit: was charged 12.99€ ^^ Edited January 21, 2012 by amnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laeris Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) I'm not a pro on US-laws, but don't you guys have to pay the taxes 'later' if you aren't charged right away? Usually, you don't have to pay sales tax over purchases on the internet unless you live in the same state as the service provider. In this case, they're in California. That's because the USA does not have a federal sales tax (VAT tax for you EU types). States do have sales taxes and they vary. One state cannot mandate a citizen to pay taxes while doing business in their home state... hence why they can and do charge sales tax if you live in the host state. Edited January 21, 2012 by Laeris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryt Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Some time card codes aren't even working, and phone support is unhelpful, to say the least. Some credit cards aren't even recognized. The billing team for this game needs to get its collective head out of its collective ***. Yeah, I bought a time card from Origin because I could not get the system to recognize any of my CC's. Never had this problem before. I don't know who they out source their customer service to, but they really need to look at it and fix it. I suspect that it is provided by EA, not BW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookBehindThee Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 The tax on internet purchase is from the state the product is sold from. I purchase much online and notice this depending on the state. Also some products are taxed some are not. You can google the state tax information but be ready for a purposefully confusing government document read. A great effort seems to be made at least in California's case to make it as vague as one can and it still be called a law. I love Cali it is my home but man they have done some strange stuff in the matter of internet fees the past couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngamok Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 your right i do live in texas austin to be exact, however trion is here also makers of rift and i pay only 14.99 to them for my rift account, so this is not adding up or making any sense at all. if it had been the norm for any of the past 15 years i had been gaming from austin texas i wouldnt be wondering about it. fact is this is the very first time i have ever paied over 14.99 for a mmo so i have a pretty strong feeling it is not taxes. trion...austin texas...14.99 a month is what im charged. boware...austin texas....15.98 a month is what im charged i dont buy the sales tax thing It's simple. Some states DO NOT charge tax on MMO subscriptions and some states DO. Some game companies keep it simple and simply just go ahead and charge you the tax anyways. I live in Indiana and RIFT did charge me tax as did WoW. Some companies will be smart and if you live in a no tax state they won't charge you but some charge you tax anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appletaz Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) Depends on where the game's headquarters are and where you live, and what the state's tax laws are. In WA state, I had to pay sales tax on my game subscriptions. 1) because the company was located in Seattle, and 2) because WA state charges sales tax on the "shipping address" and not the purchase address, and that, believe me, is one nightmare for WA state companies to pay their B&O taxes. I was just billed $14.99 for the next month on SWTOR and I have moved to CA I'm sure, if you do the math, you will see it is your local sales tax applied. Edited January 21, 2012 by Appletaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daftshadow Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 so game is supposed to be 14.99/month like every other one on the planet however all four of my accounts for my family had to pay 15.98 each, and i can get noone at customer service to tell me why or give me a refund, i have no issue subbing to the game my whole family loves it, but if we are gonna be shadely charged and overcharged then i will leave if this is not fixed. i live in california and being charged exactly $14.99/month because no tax(es) applied. to make sure your exactly amount being paid, go into your account and open the "show your payment history". there's a column called "taxes" to see if any tax is applicable to your monthly billing before going all wacko on your billing statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RycheMykola Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 this is why you cancel your card info. so they cant sneak in other payments without telling you. I agree, i paid my mortgage this month and they snuck in this thing called "property tax" , I was overbilled!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacenHallis Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I've been gaming for 15 years in mmo's.. EQ1, planetside, shadowbane, EQ2, DAOC, Rift, EVE online, Age of Conan, City of heroes, city of villains, DC universe online, Pirates of the burning sea, and MORE!!! and I have NEVER EVER paid taxes.. and this was while I lived in Kansas, California and Nebraska.. Interesting. I have lived in Texas my entire life, and I've been playing MMOs since I picked up EQ in 2000. I haven't been charged tax since then, but I have been paying sales tax on my subscriptions for a number of years now. I don't know why Trion wasn't charging it, but they should have done so. For the person who mentioned one of the highest tax rates in the nation, I hope you weren't talking about Texas. Our sales tax is somewhat high, yes. But in exchange for that, you don't have to file income tax with the state. I'll take a sales tax over income tax any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattlite Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) most likely you live in a state that is militant about internet sales tax (NY for example). ^This. Or, you live in another country. I get charged an Int'l transaction fee when I buy some stuff from out of country, incl MMO subs. Edited January 21, 2012 by Seattlite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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