I understand that sales tax in Prague is quite high: 19%. I also understand foreigners are supposed to be able to get this tax back. How does one do that? "Life is too short to drink bad wine."
Okay, so thirty three people have viewed this posting, but no one has replied. It must be really difficult to get VAT back in Prague. Is this because of the unhelpful sales people I've been reading about on some other postings?
Try this, for example. Yes, I agree it's madness. The minimal VAT (basic rate) in the EU is 15%. That's also silly. On the other hand, the tax system in Europe is different and the state is more "caring" for you (regardless you want it) - i.e. you have not to pay for services paid by the state.
Oh, at 19% you're paying for it and then some. Not to mention you don't even get to choose the service you are paying for. If you could pocket that 19% plus the other taxes, you'd have the money to buy whatever service it is they are shoving at you. Not to mention, there would be competition for your purchase and competition always brings a better quality of service/product. And Europeans think they are freer than Americans because they can drink on the street and lie naked on the beach. :roll: I'm not saying that to sound superior, I'm just saying that it's a sad state of affairs for us all. I truly wish we could all be freer from governments that think they know better how to make our choices for our own lives.
Freedom of way, how people making their choices is matter of personal freedom too and you cannot dictate people, which amount of money they should to delegate to democratic elected government I'm sorry, but you just cannot export instant US solution to other contries
This seems be a little obsolete (2002). But basically, there are no important changes for non-EU citizens (there is a change in the minimal limit and duty free shops are restricted). Even a democratic decision is a form of a dictate. Did you say she can't dictate to somebody else, but must be restricted by somebody else's dictate? A little asymmetric attitude, I think. And in addition, dzurisovak didn't write she want to dictate something. In fact, she wrote the opposite. Maybe it's nearly impossible to export the whole system, but I see no big problem with implementation of one particular solution. And again, who did write about export of the US solution?
I'm not sure I understant meaning of your statement. There is no absolute freedom in real world. If you want to live in society, you have to accept some compromises. I'm not sure which solution iyou mean. I agree, that our economy could benefit from lower taxes (although I'm not sure if specifically VAT is main issue), but I don't think, that problem is so simple like - lower taxes = more freedom and vice versa. I believe freedom of speech, freedom of religion (and no religion), freedom of diversity and equal rights independent on wealth and power are much more important. And not only by law, but mainly by society attitude.
It was a reaction to your statement, which is a defence of democracy in terms of personal freedom. That's inconsistent, since democracy itself is a restriction of personal freedom. In a democratic society there is a trade-off between freedom and democracy. No concrete one, I only think we needn't to accept the whole system, we can choose the useful parts. There's no rational reason to a priori refuse the US system, it could be an inspiration for us. The taxes are paid in order to meet the costs of state care. There is no direct trade-off between freedom and taxes, but there is a trade-off between freedom and state care.
The discussion on freedom has been interesting, although what taxes have to do with that in the USA and the Czech Republic, I don't know. After all, both countries have taxation WITH representation. I think the notion of freedom has devolved since John Locke wrote about the Social Contract. First, I think the definition of the term "freedom" has devolved. It now seems to be equated with "license" (meaning the right to do whatever I feel like because I am free). In America I think this has happened because of what some social philosophers call "Radical Individualism" which is a mind set that puts the individual above the society. In a country that has come out from under a brutal dictatorship which sought to control everything, even viewpoints, it is easy to see how the vacuum created when that external repression went away could replace liberty with license. I agree that in a civilized society we must temper our personal liberty with the idea of what is good for the society. Making sure everyone has health care is a good start.
And Wer and Eso, thank you very much for the very helpful links. Do you know if they mean one item must be 1000 Kc or do they mean the total purchase at one time must be that minimum?
Hi Cindy, You can find some additional information on the Global Refund website. They handle VAT refunds and have flyers in many of the tourist stores in Prague. They say on their website: "All foreign tourists outside the EU are entitled to claim back the tax, if they spend more than CZK 2.000 in a shop within one day. The goods have to be exported the latest 3 months from the end of the purchase month."
Hi everyone, Since the original topic of sales tax refund quickly veered off to discussing completely different subjects, we decided to split all the posts that were made after Jeff's post above and move them here. Feel free to continue exchanging your views on Czech and U.S. governments, freedom, etc. in that thread while keeping this thread dedicated to its original subject. Thank you! My Czech Republic
