My daughter and granddaughter returned home to London yesterday, so the house is now much quieter and much tidier! But I'm missing the toddler chatter and watching mini masterpieces emerge...
My fridge is nowhere near big enough for all the paintings!
On a more serious note, the new VAT laws are now in place and have (as suspected) meant many small digital businesses have already closed their doors. I haven't closed Handmade Harbour yet, but I probably will do. I don't sell much within the EU, but I now need to consider how I will handle a £1.25 download sale to avoid breaking the law!
With this in mind, please do read this and follow the link to sign the new EU petition (even if you signed the previous UK one). Even if you don't sell (or buy) digital goods, the plan is that a similar law will apply to physical goods from next year - so it's important to support this. I won't go into all the reasons tiny businesses can't comply (suffice to say: could you keep up to date with 72 taxes in 28 different countries?) but please do read the link if you have a small business!
You can also join this Facebook group to keep updated, ask questions and join in the discussion.
I know some of you may be awaiting a Quentin update... he did indeed need to go for a CT scan - we are still waiting for the results from that. He's still doing the walking on three legs thing - not all the time, just intermittently. It's usually his right hind leg but not always.
He is starting to calm his puppy excitement down a little but it's very gradual! One of the things we are trying to encourage is calm evenings - so if we are watching TV he will lie down next to us. It takes quite a while, but most evenings he does eventually manage it!
It's over to you now for Handmade Monday...
11 comments:
Happy New Year. Great to hear you had a lovely Christmas and to see Quentin making progress.
The VAT issue really needs resolving. Hopefully the more people sign the petition, the more likely common sense will prevail.
Have a great week crafting.
Alison x
Petition signed! I've unlisted my downloadable craft papers on Etsy for now while i wait to see how things pan out... i'm still hoping that a workable solution will be reached, there's just too may people affected for their not to be! :/
I'm a little behind with my HM visits, i remember you saying Quentin was having trouble with his legs, i'm sorry its still going on but its good to hear there has been some improvement. Poor fella, i hope he's himself again soon.
It sounds like you've had a lovely time with your family, i bet they are missing you too now they're back home!
Oh yes, and a belated Happy New Year... i hope its a wonderful one for you, your family and your business! xxx
A belated 'Happy New Year' to you and your family.
I hope the news regarding Quentin is all good and you don't have to wait too long for the results. Quiet family evenings are good, especially this time of year when it's so cold outside.
Take care
Jan x
Happy New Year. I will read about it and sign this evening. Can't quite envisage the dissaray which will ensue if this is widened to physical item sales as well. Hope Quentin will be ok - I can sympathise with not being able to walk properly!
Isn't this VAT stuff a nightmare! I noticed you were on that facebook group funnily enough! It is such a good thread and so incredibly useful! I do think they need to rethink this for smaller businesses.
I will be signing! Without a doubt!
xxx
All signed up. I wasn't aware it would be effecting physical goods next year. Just seems another way of keeping the small business down and letting the big boys win. Anyhoo back to important matters. I hope Quentin recovers from his leg problems and that your all enjoying some good tv programs. Have a lovely week.
Ali xx
It's so nice you are back after the holiday break. I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with family. Quentin is adorable, sitting there and watching TV. Thanks again for hosting my favorite link party!
Ah poor Quentin. I hope the CT scan is all ok and things improve soon.
All this VAT busisness sounds a nightmare.
Thx for hosting.
Hi. I was having a little bit of a ponder about the VAT issues. It seems if something is in anyway personalised it is exempt from the VATMOSS on grounds that it has involved interaction. Would there be a way that you could add a free name stamp to each of your stamps or patterns? ie the pattern could read Anna's Pattern in the title? or the stamp could just have a name underneath it? I know this will involve more work but it may get you around the situation? xx
Thanks Jen - you are right in that "substantial human intervention" gets you around the VAT issue at the moment. I've had a think about whether it would be feasible to email digistamps out, but I'm not happy with that as a solution as it seems like such a backwards step. Personalising the file names would work if emailing was an option - it couldn't be done with automated downloads. And of course, this whole problem will apply to physical goods next year, so it might just be delaying the whole issue rather than actually avoiding it. Sigh - good thinking though! x
Hello Wendy - a backward step indeed to mail things out, but it's the only way around the vat issue for the next twelve months. After that, who knows?
Quentin looks so adorable in that photo.
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