An interesting article

Sakino · Post by **Sakino** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:18 pm

http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06101634.htm

MittensValefor · Post by **MittensValefor** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:50 am

"An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, the power to destroy."
-- Daniel Webster

Post by **Karou Ariyen** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:05 pm

This is.........You know, I'm not going to repeat the manythings I'd like to say to them. So I'll call the IRS and tell them to take my tax return and shove up so far that they wont be able to sit without hearing the rustling of papers.

Post by **Sugami** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:10 pm

Makes me glad I don't live in America... amoung other things

Well they already tax sales on the game, probably the fees aswell... what else can they do?

Sakino · Post by **Sakino** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:09 pm

Abraham Lincoln wrote:"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.”

Tinacat · Post by **Tinacat** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:59 pm

I like this alot, if only i knew wtf "second life" was

Kintrra · Post by **Kintrra** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 5:21 pm

It's a (last I recall) free game on the net where you can basically build a life for your character, and build houses and such after acquiring land. Mind you however, I know very little else about it.

Okuza · Post by **Okuza** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:31 pm

IIRC, even barter is taxed -- or at least it's supposed to be taxed. My vague recollection of the rules for barter taxing are that it's kind of screwy. The idea behind that law is to prevent the economy from a mass exodus away from currency to barter as a tax dodge. So, since gil and characters have value, you could conceivably be taxed on FFXI transactions, I suppose.

If someone ever gets hit for barter-tax because of using an online game that tries to prevent RMT, that's a huge warty problem for the game company. That implies the characters all *legally* have real value regardless of the wishes or intentions of the provider. The company could get sued for a ban or suspension a lot easier than now. Gilsellers couldn't be banned in that case.

Hell, the game company would need to log all your transactions and file some kind of 1099 for you. I doubt game tax will ever happen. It would literally kill the entire MMORPG market. The idea is just absurd. "OMG, I got a peacock charm. Ugh, gotta pay the IRS $50 now" or "If you live in my state, you must pay me an extra 8% sales tax on these mithkababs."

Sat Oct 21, 2006 12:17 am

Second Life is about as close to another life as it gets.

Several government agancies maintain accounts there for training purposes.

Many RL bands give concerts there, and several people of note have given lectures there.

Good article in a recent Wired on it.

The designers not only allow the players to make content, they encourage it. Among the first content added by players were sex organs.

Honest, no joke. Players own rights to the content they add, this is how RL clothing shops opperate there.

But as $L can be exchanged for RL $, scamers are everywhere.

Eviticus · Post by **Eviticus** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:48 pm

I played SL quite a bit because as most of you know, I have no life....well...first one anyways. SL is essentially a high end, very user driven, free style virtual world....with an exchange rate to the $. Also, the main way to make money is to create virtual things like furniture, houses, clothes, emotes, whatever...and sell it for L$. The exchange rate is horrible...like 300L$ = 1$ or something....but it is possible to make some money at this.

Now playing SL is free...for the basic account. You get a very small weekly allowence. If you pay per month, however, you get more. And more rights in the game itself, not sure what. I do know, however, I enjoy FFXI much more then SL. Oh yeah, and lots of way out there genre's....yeah...there's some really freaky things going on in SL.