Woman prostitutes herself for WOW gold.

[skadistic]

I thought I've read some articles recently hinting at the fact that the government might start taxing in-game transactions.

I guess the real bottom line is that right now it seems like a great time to be a defense lawyer, a tax man, or someone with 5,000 gold to spend.
In other words, can I barter 5000g in exchange for four rub and tugs which I convert to tax free income somehow....legally?

Just skip the rub and tug and trade the 5k in gold for real money though e-bay. Unless you count e-bay fees as tax. Or take those 4 r&ts and farm them out to clients at a profit. If you don't declare it as income how would the tax man know it was there to be taxed.

 

[Mise]

If you sell gold on eBay wholesale you are likely to become eligible to pay income tax on the extra earnings accrued.

More interesting then is the use of WoW gold in place of bona fide currency.

(hur hur hur... boner fide...)

 

[Masquerouge]

Just skip the rub and tug and trade the 5k in gold for real money though e-bay. Unless you count e-bay fees as tax. Or take those 4 r&ts and farm them out to clients at a profit. If you don't declare it as income how would the tax man know it was there to be taxed.

IIRC eBay banned MMORPG-related transactions. They felt that things were stirring a bit too much regarding the legality of such transactions and decided to be on the safe side.

 

[Mise]

IIRC eBay banned MMORPG-related transactions. They felt that things were stirring a bit too much regarding the legality of such transactions and decided to be on the safe side.

Hmm... I suppose a case could be made that MMORPG gold is the "intellectual property" of the company that made the MMORPG.

 

[woody60707]

I thought I've read some articles recently hinting at the fact that the government might start taxing in-game transactions.

I guess the real bottom line is that right now it seems like a great time to be a defense lawyer, a tax man, or someone with 5,000 gold to spend.
In other words, can I barter 5000g in exchange for four rub and tugs which I convert to tax free income somehow....legally?

They should tax it. I can't see why they wouldn't. (but with in reason, unless your making $1000's of dollars a year, you shouldn't have to report it.) psychics sell their time to people, a psychics reading is even more wroth less then WoW gold, but they get taxed.

 

[JollyRoger]

I thought I've read some articles recently hinting at the fact that the government might start taxing in-game transactions.

I guess the real bottom line is that right now it seems like a great time to be a defense lawyer, a tax man, or someone with 5,000 gold to spend.
In other words, can I barter 5000g in exchange for four rub and tugs which I convert to tax free income somehow....legally?

You might be able to get away with it, but it wouldn't be legal if in-game transactions are truly taxable. Bartering is taxable, but hard to catch, especially when what the parties are bartering for is also illegal (solicitation for prostitution). I scoffed when I first heard of taxing in-game transactions, but I can now see the theory in cases in which in-game "assets" are being exchanged for real world cash, goods, or services.

 

[Mise]

They should tax it. I can't see why they wouldn't. (but with in reason, unless your making $1000's of dollars a year, you shouldn't have to report it.) psychics sell their time to people, a psychics reading is even more wroth less then WoW gold, but they get taxed.

The point is not whether or not people should be taxed on income from selling gold for REAL dollars, but rather, whether the gold in game should be taxed. I.e. if you make 100 gold in WoW, you have to give the government 10 gold in WoW, or something similar.

 

[Masquerouge]

The point is not whether or not people should be taxed on income from selling gold for REAL dollars, but rather, whether the gold in game should be taxed. I.e. if you make 100 gold in WoW, you have to give the government 10 gold in WoW, or something similar.

That was not the way I understood the issue - to me it was when you traded virtual MMORPG components for real US dollars...

But your idea sounds great. I will apply at the IRS right now, for the post of WOW tax collector, which basically means I'll get paid to play the game year-long.

 

[JollyRoger]

The point is not whether or not people should be taxed on income from selling gold for REAL dollars, but rather, whether the gold in game should be taxed. I.e. if you make 100 gold in WoW, you have to give the government 10 gold in WoW, or something similar.

If you are talking about a real world government taxing purely in-game transactions, I don't think that will ever fly. Maybe your accumulation of in-game gold would be treated as the increased value of a stock holding - taxes is deferred until you sell (meaning exchanging it for real world assets).

 

[IglooDame]

That was not the way I understood the issue - to me it was when you traded virtual MMORPG components for real US dollars...

But your idea sounds great. I will apply at the IRS right now, for the post of WOW tax collector, which basically means I'll get paid to play the game year-long.

Heh. You want to be an in-game tax collector, when there are level-60 players that would more likely kill you and steal your accumulated taxes, than pay taxes themselves?

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

I don't see why there couldn't be an in-game tax in WoW. Players already pay a monthly fee. 150 years ago people thought income tax was a crazy idea.

 

[Mise]

That was not the way I understood the issue - to me it was when you traded virtual MMORPG components for real US dollars...

Oh, perhaps I was wrong.

If you are talking about a real world government taxing purely in-game transactions, I don't think that will ever fly. Maybe your accumulation of in-game gold would be treated as the increased value of a stock holding - taxes is deferred until you sell (meaning exchanging it for real world assets).

Personally I think it's entirely possible to treat the virtual assets as real ones from a legal PoV. I can't think of any situations analogous to MMORPGs, which suggests that it can go either way.

 

[.Shane.]

At the end of the day, its just more evidence for why prostitution should be legal.

 

[Whomp]

This is quite comical but I just read some sad news....

It turns out this is all a hoax. The laughing skull server is the same server that made up something called the Leeroy Jenkins hoax. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeroy_Jenkins

I guess the guy's calling card is "PUNKS take a hike, PUNKS."

 

[woody60707]

If you are talking about a real world government taxing purely in-game transactions, I don't think that will ever fly. Maybe your accumulation of in-game gold would be treated as the increased value of a stock holding - taxes is deferred until you sell (meaning exchanging it for real world assets).

Thats about what i was going to say, you beat it to it again. You can only tax it as income, when it becomes income by you selling it.

 

[Masquerouge]

At the end of the day, its just more evidence for why prostitution should be legal.

That's another debate entirely, but yes, apart from the religious opposition, I don't see why prostitution should be illegal - and I really hate it when people bring the worst in prostitution (like pimps abusing and stealing from their whores, and illegal girls being exploited) to justify why prostitution should be illegal.

As far as I know, there still are illegals and kids working in sweat shops, but nobody has ever asked that the entire textile industry be made illegal?

 

[Stacmon]

When did this become a dry discussion about taxation?

Are you all forgetting that a young woman rented herself out as a "mount" and got a collection of pixels in return?

Let's bring the discussion back on topic...

What will women/girls sell themselves for next ?

(This is why the world desperately seems to need religious morality )

 

[Whomp]

When did this become a dry discussion about taxation?

Are you all forgetting that a young woman rented herself out as a "mount" and got a collection of pixels in return?

Let's bring the discussion back on topic...

What will women/girls sell themselves for next ?

(This is why the world desperately seems to need religious morality )

No this is why people need to lighten up because it's a hoax.

 

[Stacmon]

No this is why people need to lighten up because it's a hoax.

Is it ?

Don't play with our emotions like that, are you just making that up or do you actually have proof?

This was easily one of the most hilarious things I've heard about in recent memory... that's probably the case for many people on these forums.

Have you no heart to take it all away from us?

 

[woody60707]

This is quite comical but I just read some sad news....

It turns out this is all a hoax. The laughing skull server is the same server that made up something called the Leeroy Jenkins hoax. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeroy_Jenkins

I guess the guy's calling card is "PUNKS take a hike, PUNKS."

Well this story may be a hoax, but no doubt there have been woman who have done sexual favors for MMORPGs items (being that ppl for play that **** are crazy and can sell on ebay for a **** load of money). One of my friends have had other players offer her gold for nude pics,......no she never done it.