User talk:JMF/Archives/2019/February

A barnstar for you!

	The Editor's Barnstar
	Thanks for the message, didn't realise about the tildas but I'll work it out. Hand on heart I'd never even heard of a 'curb' being used for the sidewalk/pavement so genuinely just thought it was a typo/error so no worries at all. Alex Ross1983 (talk) 21:25, 3 February 2019 (UTC)

VAT on gold ?

Hello JohnMaynard !
I had a look at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32006L0112 - a pretty long file. Hence I copied it, and then searched for "Gold/gold", without finding the word. I fail to get what was obsolete in my contribution ? This was "In 1999 the European Union imposed an exception of VAT taxes on gold." . Do you mean there was a such exception already earlier, it's a bit unclear to me. No hard feelings. Boeing720 (talk) 20:56, 9 February 2019 (UTC)

There were a few things wrong with the text you posted

• The UK, as a member of the EU, contributed to development of the regulation and accordingly enacted into national legislation. It is nonsense to say that it had to do so to compete "with the EU". That is like saying that Maine has to compete with the US.
• I believe that the citation you gave referred to the first version of the regulation. The link I gave in the edit summary is to the current version (which obsoletes the one cited). I don't have time to check the possibility that it was Google that gave me the obsolete regulation and maybe I've blamed the wrong source. But I believe that it was your source.
• The new text says that bullion transfers between licensed dealers is not subject to vat but once it sold to retail customers, it becomes so liable.

So your text needs to reflect the way that the EU actually works, not some daily express fantasy. Second, it would be far better to cite the actual regulation rather than a report about it in a source that seems to me to be in the business of promoting a particular investment. That is a dangerous path for Wikipedia to tread. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 01:15, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

Well I just wrote that EU made an exception for gold in 1999. And referred to a brief quote in the source I used. I certainly didn't refer everything else you may have found elsewhere in that source. But OK I can see that I searched your source for one word. But just in order to see what (that otherwise excellent source) had to say about VAT related to gold.

So what's your first bullet-point is about, is kind of some kind of massive blur to me. Have I anything to do with that part ? I take your word for "The UK, as a member of the EU, contributed to development of the regulation and accordingly enacted into national legislation." - but I have not brought any of it up. (I don't rule out the source I used has, but that's different.) I neither rule out that VAT on gold was in use in all membership nations already before the EU as institution removed it. I get your last two point far better. Thanks. Boeing720 (talk) 06:42, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

Accepted and I withdraw. I ought to have rechecked before replying at 1 AM. I see now that it was the cited source, not you, that got its facts and analysis wrong. So I will not challenge if you reinstate though you might pause to consider whether it qualifies as a wp:rs. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 11:10, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

OK - I will investigate the source vs wp:rs- and then possibly return to the matter. Thanks. Boeing720 (talk) 22:27, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

	The Original Barnstar
	Your affection for Milton Keynes is noted. Well done for improving its quality. Please continue to improve it. Whispyhistory (talk) 18:58, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

Oxford to Cambridge Expressway

Please see Talk page. Thanks. Tomintoul (talk) 12:03, 24 February 2019 (UTC)

The anonymous editor is warring. I would be obliged if you would revert. Tomintoul (talk) 16:37, 24 February 2019 (UTC)