Envato taxes problems

[andyhunder2016]

Should I pay taxes myself selling stuff via Envato?
Found these documents on taxes forum. Is this true?


Being a freelancer (based in EU) and selling my stuff via Envato I have to pay all taxes in EU myself? Really?! What now. EU tax authorities will make me pay for all the project I've done since 2013?? Any info on this subject?

[jscheuer1]

First off you probably need a lawyer to get a definitive answer, one familiar with both the type of law you're talking about and the jurisdiction (EU in this case). Any other answer would most likely be heresay, general, or both. The taxing authority should have information available on the web. If so, you can find this with Google. That said, my general answer would be that compliance is usually voluntary in a defacto sort of way. It may be illegal to not collect and turn over taxes on sales, but as long as you start doing it as soon as you become aware of it, you probably will not be gone after for past infractions.

So I would say no, just start adding taxes to your prices for things, and sending them in. Don't worry about the past.

But that's assuming you need to in the first place. And, as I say, you would at least need to do some research to adequately determine that - ideally have legal counsel. While you're at that, best to check on how serious your past behavior is, and whether or not it would be wise to pay back taxes. Generally the taxing authority will go after people who actually collected taxes from their customers but never paid them to the taxing authority before they would harass a person who was previously unaware and who is now collecting and paying.

See also:

https://help.market.envato.com/hc/en-us/articles/202821870-Do-I-need-to-pay-taxes-on-my-Envato-Market-earnings-

And there's always a possibility that no taxes need be collected. All tax law distinguishes between various types of transactions. If your transactions are not those subject to a tax, you need not worry about it. Again, for more detail on that, more research, or ideally an attorney is required. For simple legal advice on matters such as this, there are often free or low cost options, such as business associations, web lawyers, etc. Just make sure the advice is confidential before revealing any potentially detrimental information about your situation.