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 * [[http://www.linux.com/articles/59381|Article by Serge Wroclawski about refund strategy]] (January 2007)
 * Refund cases are also collected at http://www.racketware.info/index
 * To prevent trouble with refund, there are some tipps how to buy hardware without Microsoft Tax at [[Hardware_vendors|the hardware vendor's page]].
  * Fabian Thommen ordered a Dell without XP from the very beginning (no refund necessary). His report can be found [[http://rca.snm-hgkz.ch/blog/windows-refunds/|here]]
 * Serge Wroclawski gives a [[http://community.linux.com/community/07/01/03/227237.shtml?tid=12|counterpoint for any excuses]] the vendor might have
 * Read the details about your license on [[http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/useterms|Microsoft's software license terms page]].

 * To prevent trouble with refund, there are some tipps how to buy hardware without Microsoft Tax at [[Hardware_vendors|the hardware vendor's page]].
 * Read the details about the Microsoft license you want to get refunded on [[http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/useterms|Microsoft's software license terms page]].
 * [[http://www.racketware.info/index|racketware]] also collected refund cases
 * Serge Wroclawski's article [[http://www.linux.com/articles/59381|"How to get a Windows tax refund"]] from January 2007

The "Windows Tax" has artificially increased hardware prices for users of GNU/Linux by a mandatory payment to Microsoft even though no Microsoft software is being used on these machines. The reason: Almost any computer and laptop is bundled with a Microsoft Windows licence. Most vendors will not sell computers without it because apparently their terms with Microsoft do not allow it.

The only way to counteract that "Windows Tax" on PCs and laptops is to ask for a refund, but details on this process are not easy to find, and there is no central repository to allow people gather and share their information with the process. Changing that is the purpose of this page.

General information

Information for specific countries

Below, there is a list of countries (in alphabetical order) from which we either received interesting news or reports about people trying to get reimbursement. If you want to add a report, please provide date, kind of Microsoft License, company you bought it from and other interesting information. You can also attach your correspondence to your report.

Unsorted Information

Here we collect information and links that currently do not fit anywhere else. Please think twice about alternative locations before posting something here.

Activities/WindowsTaxRefund (last edited 2021-09-09 18:50:34 by bittner)