Adobe,
Why is it that - for years now - you have been ripping off your European clients with the most ludicrous prices without any foundation?
Creative Cloud is used from the same servers worldwide for software, from the same servers for validation and you still manage to charge absurd mark-ups for clients from Europe.
Using today's exchange rates and everything expressed in US $, you get the following monthly cost for the Creative Cloud:
| Country | Price/month excl. taxes | Price/month incl. taxes | % difference versus US excluding taxes | % difference versus US including taxes | Local tax rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | $ 50 | State dependent | NA | NA | |
| UK | $ 61 | $ 73 (£ 47) | 22 % | 46 % | 20 % |
| France | $ 68 | $ 81 (€ 61.50) | 36 % | 62 % | 19.6 % |
Switzerland | $ 75 | $ 81 (CHF 70) | 50 % | 62 % | 8 % |
| Luxembourg | $ 70 | $ 81 (€ 61.50) | 40 % | 62 % | 15 % |
| Netherlands | $ 67 | $ 81 (€ 61.50) | 34 % | 62 % | 21 % |
| Germany | $ 68 | $ 81 ( € 61.50) | 36 % | 62 % | 19 % |
Considering that all countries use the same servers to access the CC software and the same servers for validating purposes, that does not explain why customers from outside the USA have to pay at least 22 % more in the UK and at least 34 to 50 % more in other European countries. They may even use your argument to rip off customers in Switzerland even more than other European countries with higher taxation, like Hungary. Keep in mind that businesses do not pay VAT, they get a refund of all the VAT they paid, only end-consumers suffer the penalty of the high taxation in their country, and 62 % is a huge price difference.
Tax rates should never be an argument for price differentation. Adobe does not benefit or suffer from local tax rules. They charge it and pay it, EOS. Adobe should only look at prices excluding taxes.
They ought to charge something like € 38 per month, equivalent to around $ 50, excluding taxes.
I have always been ripped off by Adobe due to their ridiculous pricing strategy, which made me go through convoluted steps to get the cheapest version available, because they refuse credit card payments from other countries. You can't pay with a Dutch credit card on the US website. This is a very cheap way to rip off your customers, IMO.