Apple Raising App Store Prices in Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey Due to Tax Changes

Apple today began informing developers of upcoming App Store pricing changes in several countries due to tax changes, with the prices of apps and in-app purchases affected.

appstore
Prices are shifting in Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

  • Chile: New value-added tax of 19%
  • Mexico: New value-added tax of 16%
  • Saudi Arabia: Increase in value-added tax from 5% to 15%
  • Turkey: New digital services tax of 7.5% (in addition to the existing value-added tax of 18%)

According to Apple, developers will see their proceeds from ‌App Store‌ sales adjusted accordingly, with revenue calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.

‌App Store‌ proceeds will also be adjusted in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK due to tax changes, though ‌App Store‌ pricing will not be shifting.

  • Germany: Reduced value-added tax rate from 19% to 16%
  • France: New digital services tax of 3% (in addition to the existing value-added tax of 22%)
  • Italy: New digital services tax of 3% (in addition to the existing value-added tax of 22%)
  • United Kingdom: New digital services tax of 2% (in addition to the existing value-added tax of 20%)

Developers are able to download updated pricing charts from Apple's developer site to prepare for the upcoming changes. Developers are able to change the prices of apps, subscriptions, and in-app purchases, and can opt to preserve pricing for existing subscribers if desired. Apple says the price changes will go live "in the next few days."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...

Top Rated Comments

TiggrToo Avatar
68 months ago

Apple is hungry for $$$ .
2 Trillion isn’t enough.
This has nothing to do with profiteering. They are required to collect sales tax/VAT and remit them to the appropriate governments.

The ignorance of your post was quite awful.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SBlue1 Avatar
68 months ago

What is "value-added tax"? and 19% seems really high for any tax.
Its sales tax. It’s 19% in Germany. If you see the number it surely seems high but when you see what you get for your taxes it’s ok again.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheSkywalker77 Avatar
68 months ago

Apple is hungry for $$$ .
2 Trillion isn’t enough.
Ah, you didn't read the full article did you? Just commented on the title.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wrathard Avatar
68 months ago

Sales tax is not VAT. They act and are calculated differently.



No, but it's certainly toward the upper end. At the very least, middle of the road as far as VAT goes.



Yeah, most of the rest of the world outside the U.S. uses VAT. VAT percentages seem high to us here in the US, but that's only because we are accustomed to paying all the tax at the sales end. When an American pays for a good with 8% sales tax, they are in fact paying 8% tax on top of the retail price. When someone buys a product with a 25% VAT, they might only be paying half of that 25% since the tax is not all charged to the consumer; as the name implies, it's based on the added value along the product chain.

VAT has its pros and cons though. It's more complex than sales tax, especially in long product chains. It can also increase the actual cost of goods, and of course companies have to pay VAT, unlike sales tax. OTOH, it's easier to audit than sales tax if recorded properly, and in general consumers pay less tax on goods (if the VAT is roughly 16% or less, compared to 8% average U.S. sales tax)
VAT and Sales Tax while conceptually different, are the same for the end customer.

If an item is sold for $100 w/ a 16% sales tax the customer pays $116.

If an item is sold for $100 w/ a 16% VAT the customer still pays $116.

Who collects and pays govt. is irrelevant. End customer gets charged the same whether it's Sales Tax or VAT.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
68 months ago

Apple is hungry for $$$ .
2 Trillion isn’t enough.
That literally makes no sense. Countries tax services, who do you think pays those taxes? Always the consumer. Just like the infamous tariffs here in the US, despite lies to the contrary, the consumer pays those taxes.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
68 months ago

What is "value-added tax"? and 19% seems really high for any tax.
Yep, the US enjoys pretty low tax rates. Sales Tax in Latin America and Europe is very high in comparison.

In Colombia base sales tax is also 19%, but it can go as high as 32% for luxury items. Cars can have as much as 28% VAT as well... Computers less than $500 USD (or so, depends on exchange rate) are free of some taxes.

In addition to VAT you can also pay some other taxes... The more social, the craziest tax regulations become.

When I do projects there I have to pay taxes for the elderly, the youth, pro-hospitals, etc... I also have to pay income tax even though I have not been living there for a long time. Funny thing is in Texas (where I live) there is no income tax...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)