ultimateweb 2014The EU are trying to stop multinational companies like Amazon and Google avoiding VAT by locating in low-VAT countries like Luxembourg. New regulations which take effect on 1st Jan 2015 require firms selling digital products to charge VAT in the country of sale rather than their own local country but the sting in this policy is that it applies not only to the massive firms but also to the microcompanies, sole traders and startups which often drive innovation.