A Finnish publication has reported that a number of online and land poker players have been contacted by the country’s tax authorities demanding that they declare any winnings from their poker entertainment, going five years back.
The letters said that players should pay taxes on money earned outside what is known as the European Economic Area. Finland, along with thirty other nations, falls outside the EEA. Any money earned within the EEA is not subject to taxation.
The letters, however, have caused considerable confusion among poker players. For example, many players were ordered to reply to the letter by mid-August, although the majority only received the correspondence in recent days. In addition, it was not made clear in the letters whether poker earnings from a company registered in the EEA though operating out of it were taxable.