App Store and iTunes Prices in UK May Increase Up to 20%

appstore.jpgApple's iTunes and App Store downloads may see a price increase next year when new UK laws take effect.

The Guardian reports that the most recently introduced budget closes a loophole that allowed digital downloads to avoid UK taxes.

The budget document said: "As announced at budget 2013, the government will legislate to change the rules for the taxation of intra-EU business to consumer supplies of telecommunications, broadcasting and e-services. From 1 January 2015 these services will be taxed in the member state in which the consumer is located, ensuring these are taxed fairly and helping to protect revenue."

Digital download retailers such as Apple and Amazon presently avoid the UK's 20% VAT by selling from countries such as Luxembourg where the tax rate is only 3%-15%. Under the new law, downloads to UK customers will be taxed at the higher 20% rate. Apps may be least affected as they are presently taxed at the higher range of 15%.

The change appears to affect all digital downloads including music, apps, and e-books, and will take effect on January 1, 2015.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...

Top Rated Comments

Cali Fornia Avatar
141 months ago
Apple should simply ****ing absorb the VAT. It's not as if they did not already profit enough from those tax leaks and make quite some money anyway.

You wanna make money in a certain country? Pay this country's taxes.
Just ridiculous to pay taxes in Luxembourg or Ireland but sell goods and services in a completely different country?
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shrink Avatar
141 months ago
The UK is such a joke.

Since I assume that you have lived in the UK (currently, or at some time) for some considerable period of time (otherwise the post would be...ah...ill considered), could you expand on the comment and explain why the UK is a joke.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goodcow Avatar
141 months ago
The UK is such a joke.

No, the US healthcare system is a joke. Things like the VAT support the NHS.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fredaroony Avatar
141 months ago
Don't matter to me, I live in the U.S. Sorry UK

You just get to go bankrupt if you get health problems and don't have health insurance instead.....
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lilabila Avatar
141 months ago
Apple should simply ****ing absorb the VAT. It's not as if they did not already profit enough from those tax leaks and make quite some money anyway.

You wanna make money in a certain country? Pay this country's taxes.
Just ridiculous to pay taxes in Luxembourg or Ireland but sell goods and services in a completely different country?

You will alway pay any tax as a consumer. It's always you who will pay corporate taxes. I'm sure you will never understand.

Now you get what you wanted in first place. Pay your tax peon.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mojolicious Avatar
141 months ago
I'm a British citizen and I have lived there, thank you.

I could go on about a lack of rights, censorship in the extreme, lack of privacy, crime, ill-conceived immigration policies, and astronomically high taxes...but that'd be too easy.
It's reassuring to know that wherever you are in the world you can still get hold of the Daily Mail.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)