Italy abolishes its “Microsoft Tax” for new computers

If you’re in Italy, you will no longer have to pay the “Microsoft tax” while purchasing a new computer. If you don’t wish to have Windows pre-installed on your new computer, your vendor won’t charge for it. Sounds simple enough? Well, it wasn’t so until recently. The Italian Supreme Court has decided that if a person doesn’t want Windows OS, then they have all the rights in the world to ask for a refund.

I am quite sure that purchasing a desktop computer or a notebook can be considered to be a rite of passage for some, especially when one has extremely limited monetary resources to fall back upon. Having said that, for those who have grown up with Windows all their lives, chances are your purchases would have come with a (legit) copy of Windows pre-installed. Do take note, however, that the pre-installation of Windows is not free, but has already been incorporated into the final sticker price. If you do not want to use Windows, does this mean you have to pay what they call the “Microsoft tax”? This situation was presented in a court case over at the Italian Supreme Court by Marco Ciurcina and co.