:eek::eek:
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/09/th...ollecting-gst/
Printable View
This will be interesting
1. Because big Australian retailers are a shower of lazy b*st*rds
2. The Australian people have no problem flouting the law e.g. illegal torrents, streaming and downloading of media
I've read that these laws are very similar to Mike Baird's Lockout Laws.
VPN.
this looks like its one of their "lets throw this stupid idea out to the public and see if they get pissed off. if the public hate it, change it until they're okish with it.
they do this all the time, if we kick up enough stink they'll change it.
i sure hope they change it because this is just plain stupid.
our tax laws should no go beyond our borders.
Good luck stopping me, gubmint.
I didn't get past the pic.....
There should be a $150M plebiscite on this issue.
Has anyone spoken to their local Federal MP about their concerns?
Good luck enforcing it.
That wacky Sco Mo is at it again.
It has already been proven that this tax will cost more to implement and enforce than the revenue that it will raise, hence why tax didnt apply to items under $1000. Like most people have said good luck enforcing this, they cant stop torrents or people using VPNs to circumvent geo-blocking.
I doubt this will ever come to fruition
I hope not. Otherwise our internet is set to become even more restricted than in China! :eek:
some smart mp is out to block the internet...
http://i.imgur.com/xfFw1au.jpg
Why do the Australian government always have to do things the hard way and fob the tax collection off onto foreign businesses?
How hard is it for them to set up a system at the border like the UK has where items coming in over a certain value, etc are held until GST due is paid, then the item is released for delivery.
I don't see why overseas companies should have to manage the collection of a tax not applicable to their business outside Australia. I can see a lot of overseas websites deciding to remove Australia from the list of countries they ship to because who wants that kind of headache?
This is all about pushing the costs of compliance onto the international retailers because they know the cost of collecting the GST on low value items far outweighs whatever extra GST they will collect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladestorm
To your last point, if some international retailers decide it's all too hard to sell to Australians they will block us, thus forcing consumers to buy local. This serves the interests of the domestic retailers that have been lobbying the government for years to abolish the current $1,000 threshold.
Theoretically this is how the system is meant to work. 10% of the value of whatever you're importing if its value is >$1000Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladestorm
That said, my own first hand knowledge of importing things over that value (limited mainly to Star Wars prop replicas) has had it not be enforced at all.
Theoretically they're meant to go off the declared/insured value of whatever is being sent. In practise I'm not sure how much anyone cares.
It sounds annoying, and I can see a lot of businesses just not bothering to send stuff to Aus. Further, how will it work with remailers? Who becomes liable there?
When alot of figures I buy are not released here, domestic retailers get bupkis anyway. And I know alot of people are in the same boatQuote:
Originally Posted by DaptoDog
like it was mentioned, that is the existing system for shipments valued at over $1000, which I do know of people who have copped that. It's not just GST either, it's also import duties .Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladestorm
your second paragraph I can see happening, if I was selling to an overseas country and they tried to force me to collect tax on their behalf I'd just block that country.
How will this work with eBay purchases??
Can o worms trying to figure it all out
This is one of the main points for us collectors. We buy from overseas because there is no supply in the country. If this means that foreign companies stop selling to Australia then the people that miss out are us consumers...Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1
Seems like a regressive tax aimed at a protectionist, anti-globalisation outcome.
Most of what we as collectors would import are things not available in Oz.
When you can buy locally you will buy locally if you can (and you aren't being extorted) but that isn't always the case. So at the end of the day, the group losing out are always going to be the consumers because not only will it be more difficult to get stuff but I can see those international businesses who do offer their service to deliver to Oz adding extra costs on to cover the time and inconvenience (on top of the GST collection).
How will the govt get their collected GST from overseas? What's to stop a retailer pocketing the money instead of sending it to the Oz govt. Will the consumers parcel then be stopped because of this? It isn't as if the Oz govt can hunt down retailers overseas and force them to pay... can they?
It seems to me it won't be a workable solution in the long (or short) term. How does this method work out cheaper than having someone sitting at the border processing the parcels? What's a few more Oz Post or customs workers in the scheme of things?
And... how will it work on private parcels?
What happens in this scenario:
Say one of you ask me to buy an MP-10 and ship it from here in HK to you. Do *I*as an individual then have to somehow add/collect GST and figure out how to send those funds to the Oz government? Exchange rates/transfer rates and time wasted would make it almost unpalatable.
If I just write gift does that then mean the GST doesn't have to be paid and you can skip the process?
I don't expect answers by the way... these are just some of the questions and concerns I have about how they can ever possibly make this system work.
I would assume that they will rely upon Double Taxation Agreements to enforce it. This will mean that they work with the country where the retailer is based and it gets factored into their returns over there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bladestorm
Well we already have this to contend with: https://www.commbank.com.au/support/...ansaction-fees
Now, forcing tax collection from overseas retailers is actually not legal as they are not an Australian business with an ABN. That is the first, and in this case the actual last step.
Plus Foreign business does not lodge returns and do BAS. How are they to claim gst credits for gst collected? They can't as they don't even pay gst themselves in their own countries, and if they do, their country and ours are hardly going to be transferring gst credits with each other. How are they even going to submit gst collected when they don't even do an Australian return? Hell, do they even do 75000$ in turnover to begin with?
Being non residents for tax purposes, they owe us no tax at all anyway.
This is why they need to be collecting the tax upon importation and can't fob it to the retailer.
Too much effort for them to try collect when they get here. It's been put in the "too hard" basket and have had the genius idea to go this route
I wonder if someone is importing a toy that's not available here and they try to block it, would there be a case for unfair trade restriction? Because - to my knowledge - that's why DVD manufacturers cannot deny consumers the access codes to unlock the region on DVD players upon request. Because there are many film and TV titles which are never released here, and I've heard that if a DVD manufacturer in Australia refuses to supply instructions on how to unlock the region code on a player then the consumer may have just cause to file complaint with the ACCC. That's what a mate of mine told me when DVD players first came out, and every time I've asked either a store or the manufacturer for the code to unlock a player they have always given it to me (except for Sony because the region coding is hardwired).
And what if you get a friend overseas to buy for you and declare it as a gift?
Would this affect Australian based dealers like PC?
Still a gift.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
In what way?
I bet you they are doing on the request of some backward ass lobbying body.
I believe it will only apply if they receive Australian source income over the $75k threshold.Quote:
Originally Posted by MV75
The argument is that a lot of the larger companies that provide goods to Australia will voluntarily register and comply. I guess they probably only care about the major ones and not the small ones.
I tend to think for us collectors that there will continue to be no GST charged on most the sites we use, the main reason being that the ATO has no way to compel a foreign corporation to remit the tax, they hold no jurisdiction in the foreign country. If the legislation provides a back-up taxing point at Customs then that is entirely another problem.
Exactly. Australian based, they need an abn. Good luck giving all of those chinese ebay shops an abn so they can register for gst collection. :) As I already said, the first step to registering for gst collection is to have an abn. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Raider
But they've made up new laws before and post dated them.
Plus it's no business of the ato to know the turnover of any business outside of Australia anyway, they aren't lodging tax returns here. Even business that do have an office here, only those sales are taxed and reportable, the foreign office that sells here isn't because it's not Australian. Example is Hobbyking. I do like to buy the local shop because I get stuff faster. The gst is a non issue, which they seem to think it is on why people buy overseas.
If it came through it would stuff most of us that live in the bush. Not only are a lot of TFs not sold in this county but a helluva lot that are don't appear in a 500km radius of remote rural areas. And Aussie divisions of companies like TRU, Myer and the like actually charge MORE to ship goods domestically then foreign companies to ship internationally.
Case in point, it was going to cost more in postage to me to have TRU ship CW Computron from Melb that HLJ were charging to ship me UW Computron from Japan! :eek: it's why I just left it and hoped to find one on a shelf on my yearly trip to the big city (which luckily I did)
More news on the gst on foreign goods for the 1st of july this year
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business...70976a1eb14a2c
If I didn't have to sign up to read it, I would
Here you go ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business...70976a1eb14a2c
Lol at Gerry Harvey. He's really got all our best interests at heart :rolleyes:
Still behind the pay wall. Yeah, Gerry's crapping himself with Amazon looking to open in Australia in September.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trent
Still premium articles. Hate payng for news lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Trent
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMHFConvoy
I just found it by searching google for "herald sun gst". Worked for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1
But yeah, I've got one major purchase to make and get into the country before this comes in. Don't want to risk getting slapped another $60 on top of what it will cost me.
Ah yes, searching google brings up the article. Wonder if that is a way around the blasted premium articles all the time.
Anyway, Gerry is a money hungry (can't say what I want but you know). They fail to see that alot of what is purchased online is items we can't buy locally. Can keep going around in circles with this discussion.
Update: Looks like eBay is probably going to geoblock all Aussie buyers and stop them from buying from non-Aussie sellers.
Way to cut us off from the rest of the world AU government, this wont be the last online retailer that just refuses to sell to us rather then comply with this BS.
http://www.afr.com/news/ebay-may-geo...0170412-gvj9pr
Not sure how this will affect postage forwarders but looks like the ones based in other countries will be making a lot more money soon enough
Cant read the link it is behind a paywall.:(Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkHyren