EU VAT and Invoices
The look of our receipt/invoice is changing
This is just a quick notice to let you know that the design of our invoices will be changing from 1 January 2015. We know that many of you are savvy and cautious when it comes to online payments so we just wanted you to know that this change is planned.
The invoice is not a visual improvement on what we had before but we needed to change them to show the breakdown of VAT paid.
We now have to charge VAT for EU customers but the prices are staying the same for everyone
We, like everyone else, just want life to be simple. However, from the beginning of 2015 the EU is bringing in a particularly complicated way of calculating and charging tax on digital products. From then, 1 January 2015, we will have to pay VAT on all payments from EU customers who are outside the UK.
We have decided that we will keep our pricing plan the same for everyone. Although this tax will take up to 25% of some payments it is simpler and fairer to keep the price the same.
The new invoices will show how much, if any, VAT has been paid from your payment to us. For around 90% of our customers this will be zero. However, the total amount will be the same as before.
Our company’s legal name is Rokesmith Ltd
Woodworking Masterclasses is a trading name of Rokesmith Ltd. Don’t worry, this is just our small family-owned business, we haven’t been taken over or sold. It was just a business decision early on to have the main legal name of the business something other than ‘Woodworking Masterclasses’. It means that if we decide to create a new branch of the business in the future we can do so without setting up a whole new business.
The name Rokesmith Ltd sometimes appears on emails, invoices and on this site. We just thought we would take the opportunity to explain how it relates to Woodworking Masterclasses.
Paul, Joseph, and family,
From what I understand of it, this change (affecting a “small number” of business dealing with digital content) is one of the most poorly researched changes the EU has declared. Yet, that’s a stretch. The EU does a lot of really really stupid things.
My condolences that your small family business gets swept up and punished by imbecilic bureaucrats.
Yet, many KUDOs to you for trying to absorb the pain and do well for your customers.
May the New Year turn out better for you in spite of governmental idiocy. Happy New Year!
Hi Bob,
Yeah, this is a galling rule that is particularly difficult for small businesses to cope with. It should give us all cause for concern that I am unsure whether I would have been able to navigate these changes two years ago when setting up this business.
This hits the smallest businesses the hardest and yet huge multinationals have small armies of accountants, solicitors and developers on hand to make the transition easier.
However, I don’t want anybody to be too concerned. We will manage this and we will continue to make this site as accessible as possible.
Best,
Joseph