Passage Discussion

[abc3210]

Could anyone explain what the last paragraph of passage B is actually saying, please?
I am having hard time understanding MP of passage B.

Thank you in advance! !

[ohthatpatrick]

Yeah, it's definitely complicated legal grammar towards the end.

Luckily, this author somewhat made her main point clearly visible in line 44-45:
based on tax law and policy, we should NOT tax the virtual wealth that people accumulate within a game.

It would only be taxable if you receive real world money from selling it (just like the value of a fish you caught wouldn't be taxable, but if you sold the fish that money would be taxable).

So the 3rd paragraph of B is listing the things that wouldn't be taxed:
- acquisitions of "loot" in game worlds
- in-game trades of virtual times

And then the 4th paragraph is listing the things that WOULD be taxed:
- The sale of virtual items for real currency
- in games that embrace and intend to be a genuine marketplace, even in-game trades would be taxed

(One of the worst lines is 52 -- "tax doctrine and policy counsel taxation of the sale of virtual items for real currency". This is a dreadful way of saying, "According to tax doctrine and existing policy, it would be logical for us to tax the sale of virtual items for real money.")

[abc3210]

And then the 4th paragraph is listing the things that WOULD be taxed:
- The sale of virtual items for real currency
- in games that embrace and intend to be a genuine marketplace, even in-game trades would be taxed

(One of the worst lines is 52 -- "tax doctrine and policy counsel taxation of the sale of virtual items for real currency". This is a dreadful way of saying, "According to tax doctrine and existing policy, it would be logical for us to tax the sale of virtual items for real money.")

Now everything makes sense! Thank you for the great explanation