Will european residents in Second Life be taxed to death by Linden Labs ?!?

Linden Labs by applying all of a sudden a new policy regarding VAT will probably cause the financial demise of most European sim owners, who will have to pay roughly 20% more for all sim related costs... ruining most of them in this times of low land costs… witch in turn will cause the departure of many European residents who won't fit as well outside their language zone.

Here is the content of the mail most of us french resident received today (in english of course) from Linden labs (by a Vertical Response mail) :

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Hello, DD Ra.

We have identified that you reside in a European country. Accordingly, your next bill will reflect Value Added Tax (VAT) charged at the rate specified by your country. Please note that VAT applies to all payments to Linden Lab such as land sales, monthly maintenance fees and Premium subscription fees.
If you are eligible for a VAT exemption, you may submit proof of your exemption status, such as your VAT number, here:
https://secondlife.com/account/vat_enter_id.php

If you have other questions, please read the VAT FAQ:
http://secondlife.com/corporate/vat.php

You can also contact us via the support portal:
http://secondlife.com/support

Best regards, and thank you for your continuing support.

Linden Lab
Creators of Second Life

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