Activities/WindowsTaxRefund

A knowledge and experience repository on how to reclaim your "Windows Tax"

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 section in our Fellowship page.

Please feel free to add your own experience or links to information about attempts by others!

General information

Information for specific countries

Please provide date, kind of Microsoft License, company you bought it, ...

France

UK

United States

Belgium

CZ

Germany

We are currently gathering information. Please add information here or write an e-mail to germany@fsfeurope.org .

Lenovo

Dell

Italy