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A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was ...rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
"Goods can be sold VAT-free (zero percent rate) if they are exported by or on behalf of the supplier - that is, where the retailer or VAT refund agent posts or dispatches the goods to an address outside the E.U. This is subject to proof in the form of postal or shipping documents showing that the goods have left the E.U.
If the goods are exported by or on behalf of the tourist/traveller, then the supplier does not have proof of export at the time of supply, and the supply should not be zero-rated. If the supplier nonetheless chooses to zero-rate a sale to a tourist/traveller (for example where payment is by credit card), the supplier must account for the VAT due on the sale in the VAT return for the period following the sale unless, at that stage, he/she is in possession of documentary proof that the goods have been exported. A supplier who zero-rates a sale, and subsequently accounts for the VAT in the next return may claim an adjustment in the following VAT return to account for this if he/she subsequently receives proof that the goods were exported within the three months limit. It is important to note that the traveller has no liability to pay VAT following a zero rated sale, even if he/she fails to provide the necessary proofs of export. The liability to account for VAT on the sale remains with the supplier, whose entitlement to apply the zero rating to a particular sale is retracted if the conditions attached to the scheme are not complied with."
The Above paragraphs are taking directly from The Legislative document on the Export Scheme for Tourists
~~~~~ As I have family Members with Expertise in this very Area ... I will be happy to pass on any questions a retailer may have for clarification ~~~~~
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