A Time of Magic

That used to be a really simple question to answer but isn’t always quite so simple any more.

For instance, you might think that seeing as I’m typing this from France that I’m working in France. Obvious, isn’t it?

Well, no, it isn’t. For one thing, this website is registered in America so arguably I’m working in America. On the other hand, the website is hosted in Germany so arguably I’m working in Germany. But then again, I’m writing it for a British company.

So which of the four options is the “right” one?

Clearly the domain registration is neither here nor there. Neither is the hosting location although that would be a factor were we physically in China for example.

The last two aspects are far from clear though. I might be in France at the moment so they’d argue that I should be paying tax here for instance yet I’m doing the work for a British company who, arguably, are employing me in the UK.

So what was a nice simple question for our forebearers is far from a simple one to answer these days, at least for me.

Related posts:

1. Midnight on the Internet?
2. Is travel insurance actually necessary?
3. The freedom to work for yourself
4. Why are things famous internationally?
5. Choosing a gift for your wife or girlfriend

This entry was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 6:54 pm and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.