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Thread: Govt will block overseas site not collecting gst

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1 View Post
    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 boat
    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...

    Seems like a regressive tax aimed at a protectionist, anti-globalisation outcome.

  2. #22
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    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.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bladestorm View Post
    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?
    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.

  4. #24
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    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.
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  5. #25
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    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

  6. #26
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    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?

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    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.

    In what way?
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  8. #28
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    I bet you they are doing on the request of some backward ass lobbying body.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by MV75 View Post
    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.
    I believe it will only apply if they receive Australian source income over the $75k threshold.

    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.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Raider View Post
    I believe it will only apply if they receive Australian source income over the $75k threshold.

    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.

    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.
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