# Legal Question Concerning Extradition From UK TO US **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2006, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305 "2006-07-20T10:41:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305/1 "2006-07-20T10:41:24Z")
[Link.](http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8209-2277629,00.html) In my book there is a raft of issues arising from this article, including the apparent inequalities _vis-a-vis_ extradition treaties between the UK and the US, the possibility that the US is using anti-terrorist agreements for other purposes and the evident subservience of the UK government to the US authorities. These are interesting matters but beyond the scope of this post. My question specifically concerns the following issue. > [@](#): > > Britain will refuse to extradite suspects for breaking US laws against internet gambling. Extradition is available only if conduct is illegal in both the UK and America. No problem so far. > [@](#): > > However, executives are worried because the indictment against BetOnSports includes allegations of tax evasion. The company is accused of failing to collect “wagering excise tax” on $3 billion (£1.6 billion) of bets placed by US punters. Well, OK. > [@](#): > > British internet gambling executives are vulnerable to fast-track extradition for that offence because they take bets from Americans without charging tax on them. They could argue against extradition because Britain has abolished its own taxes on punters making bets, but they would have little prospect of success. Since there is no tax liability in the UK for internet gambling operators, thus their conduct is not illegal in the UK, why is there little prospect of success for these people when arguing against extradition? (I have noted the subsequent comment in the article by the Matrix Chambers spokesman but I don’t understand the context.) ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305/2 "2006-07-20T11:20:40Z")
For a start Matrix specializes in that strange new 'uman Rites stuff - soon they’ll branch out into earthworm rights However, I can see a very viable argument. VAT Astonishingly USA vendors to EU citizens are charged with collecting and remitting VAT on their EU ‘shipped’ sales. The shareware industry is distinctly unimpressed. Even Shrub would be smart enough to reason that EU vendors of gaming should collect and remit tax on gaming ‘sales’ to the USA. What is slightly Kafka-esque is that it is like taxing an illegal activity (strike the ‘like’) - well they got Al Capone on tax - and his principle source of income was from hooch during prohibition. Personally I don’t approve of internet gambling - or anything designed to hook vulnerable punters - but living under laws of multiple jurisdictions is a tricky proposition ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305/3 "2006-07-20T11:55:37Z")
[QUOTE=FRDE] Astonishingly USA vendors to EU citizens are charged with collecting and remitting VAT on their EU ‘shipped’ sales. The shareware industry is distinctly unimpressed. [/QUOTE] I did not know that. It makes sense, however. Around here, states are increasingly leaning on out-of-state businesses to collect sales taxes for sales to that state’s residents. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305/4 "2006-07-20T12:13:13Z")
Not unreasonable - as the States are part of the same Nation - but I, in the UK, would not fancy being a tax collector for Zimbabwe It created quite a furore in the shareware industry, but since the payment processors are easy to lean on … they got leant on. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-question-concerning-extradition-from-uk-to-us/365305/5 "2006-07-20T19:59:20Z")
Any other comments?