Apple And Google Could Face Consumption Tax Liability On Foreign Apps In Japan

In a significant move, Japan’s government has proposed that Apple Inc. AAPL and Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google, be held responsible for paying consumption taxes on foreign apps.

What Happened: Japan’s government intends to make app store operators like Apple and Google accountable for consumption taxes on content sold by overseas developers, reported Nikkei Asia. The goal of this strategy is to recover taxes more effectively from small companies that lack a physical presence in Japan.

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The proposed modification, outlined in a Finance Ministry report published on Tuesday, aims to level the economic playing field for Japanese content developers, as they can be taxed more directly.

Why It Matters: The proposal is seen as an attempt to correct an unusual discrepancy in the way sales taxes are applied in Japan. The new regulation aims to address this by putting the tax responsibility on Apple and Google for apps and in-app content sold by developers based outside the country.

This move could have significant financial implications for the tech giants and could serve as a precedent for other nations grappling with similar tax recovery issues.

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