VAT on online sales

The European Commission has adopted a package of measures aimed at making the VAT treatment of telecommunications, broadcasting and electronic services more business friendly.
Currently such services are taxed where the EU supplier is established. In addition non-EU suppliers must charge VAT in the Member State where the customer is established.
Many businesses have incorporated businesses in Luxembourg to avail of that jurisdiction’s low VAT rates for electronic services.
From 1st January 2015, telecommunications, broadcasting and electronic services will be taxed where the consumer is established or resides.
In the future the Commission will seek to extend the new treatment step by step to other goods and services. This complies with the notion that fundamentally, VAT is a tax on consumption, and should therefore be charged at the place of consumption.