IMHO, it's because they have great difficulties to adapt their laws to the internet. They currently have no ways of collecting taxes if I buy a service over the internet (no good that goes through the border), so I think that they try to compensate the other way around.

It's not perfect and I don't support the idea that they charge you taxes, but we are talking about politicians here... BTW, the latest poll here show that politicians have less respect than a car salesman...

>Just a tax? Tell me... what do you think of the fact that YOUR country asks foreigners to pay your local taxes while ALL OTHER countries do not ask that?