Apple has said that it will change the prices of apps and in-app payments in Egypt, Tanzania, and Nigeria starting on July 25, 2023. The price changes will have an impact on both app developers and users in these areas.
Apple says this is because of tax rules, changes in foreign exchange rates, and the introduction of Value-Added Tax (VAT). This could mean that prices will go up, even though the company didn’t say whether the change would be up or down.
Apple says that it is changing the prices in the affected countries because tax rules and exchange rates have changed recently. Tanzania had a VAT of 18% and a digital tax of 2%. Egypt, on the other hand, had a VAT rate of 14%.
When tax legislation or foreign exchange rates change, we may need to revise App Store prices in particular regions and/or adjust your revenues. To maintain the app and in-app purchase prices across storefronts, financial data providers supply publicly available exchange rate information.
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Nigeria’s 2021 Finance Act played a major role
But in Nigeria, where Apple didn’t talk about its tax change, we can remember that in January 2022, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who was then the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, said that the federal government of Nigeria would impose a six percent tax on turnover for offshore companies that provide digital services to Nigerian customers. This was part of the 2021 Finance Act.
She said that apps, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage, and internet advertising are all covered by the tax on digital services. She also said, “This is a fair and reasonable way to start a turnover tax.” The new policy is in Section 30 of the Finance Act. It changes the rules in Sections 10, 31, and 14 about VAT responsibilities for digital companies that are not based in the UK.
Mrs. Zainab Ahmed also explained that Section 30 of the Finance Act is meant to change Sections 10, 31, and 14 of VAT when it comes to VAT obligations for non-resident digital companies.
The main goal is to limit VAT obligations to digital non-resident companies that sell to people in Nigeria who can’t do their own VAT accounting.
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How will this affect Nigerian Apple developers and customers?
The Apple statement added the following:
Your app’s base shop or in-app purchases won’t change in price in Egypt, Nigeria, Tanzania, or Turkey (except for subscriptions that automatically renew). Prices in other stores will be the same as your base price. Prices will go up in Egypt, Nigeria, and Tanzania if your app’s base shop isn’t there. This doesn’t apply to automatically renewing subscriptions.
Nigerian developers and users are affected by Apple’s changes to prices and taxes. The prices of apps and in-app purchases may need to go up in the area.
If developers use auto-renewable in-app purchases or individually set storefront prices instead of equalised prices, their prices won’t change.
Price changes could affect how Nigerian coders handle taxes and make money. The new tax rates and prices will change app and in-app sales, as well as subscriptions that automatically repeat.
Apple may collect and pay taxes directly in Nigeria, but the news release only mentioned Egypt and Tanzania.
Nigerian makers can still change app prices, in-app sales, and subscriptions that automatically renew through the Pricing and Availability part of App Store Connect.
Customers in Nigeria who buy apps and in-app purchases from the App Store may see these price changes. The changes don’t affect app developers or users whose App Store memberships automatically renew.