GST on Internet Purchases

[NeilW]

Gerry Harvey and his mates have been carping on about adding GST to overseas purchases as a way of reducing the competition of internet shopping.

Buying overseas on the net has nothing to do with GST and everything to do with price and availability. Things are just cheaper from overseas, even after exchange rates and postage come into play. And I could say with some degree of certainty that almost none of the books I have purchased from Amazon in the last couple of years have seen shelf space in Australian bookstores.

I recently attempted to purchase a classical CD set from an "Australian" website for $56.00. Six weeks later the item was still showing as pending on my account record. They said that the item was no longer available, so I cancelled the order. I then went on to the Amazon - UK site, ordered it, and I would expect to see it on my desk in the next ten days, at a total cost of.......$AUD 33.00!!

Wake up retailers.

[marki]

I think people who buy overseas regularly need to start pushing back in numbers (write to your MP) or these spoiled brat monopolistic retailers will get their way yet again by bullying the poli's. They ruined Australian manufacturing but now refuse to take their own medicine. Even if they do win with the current aussie dollar value it will still be cheaper to buy overseas and all they will achieve is making items we buy 10% more expensive. I will keep buying OS as the service is better, the range greater and it will be delivered in half the time for less of my hard earned cash.

Mark

[snowyskiesau]

The latest ploy by Gerry Harvey is that buying over the Internet is 'un Australian'.
Nice try Gerry.

I regularly buy tools from overseas suppliers. Even if I had to pay GST and import duty, I'd still be buying at 30% to 40% less than I could get the same item locally.

If I was buying a refrigerator or washing machine, I would try to get them over the internet, I'd prefer to go a real store and look at the options. It isn't going to be one of Gerry's store though. :D

[Barrykgerdes]

"Poor ?" old Gerry he had the right idea but had to renege on it cause it was going to cost him.

I hate to be a wet blanket on GST but remember every purchase made overseas increases the national debt. We don't have anything manufactured in this country because of the "level playing field" that makes labour costs in Australia exhorbitant. Soon we will have no assets to sell off to meet our debts then we will become slaves to the owners of our debts.

Won't hurt me. I will be dead but my grandchildren will be the ones to suffer.

Barry

[marki]

Okay I have heard this argument often but tell me does national debt not increase when Gerry and friends buy the same products as I do overseas? How does buying locally from a retailer hold or decrease national debt when they are getting the same thing from the same place as I am? Sorry it does not add up in my book. I may be adding to national debt (nowhere near the magnitude of the banks and people who loan money from them though) but all I am doing differently is cutting out the middle man. Gerry and friends have enough money to last them several lifetimes in my book and they don't need anymore.

Mark

[FlashDrive]

Well.....Frankly, the retailers should step back and take a good hard look at why it is happening......it's very simple.
Stop being greedy and give shoppers value for money.
They cry out for more sales....dress their shop windows with " Sale on Now"...huge discounts...junk mail from them in the letter box....even resort to '' Buy Now pay Later " tactics.....just to get us in the door.

We are not stupid....we know value when we see it.
Some Retailers ( shop assistants ) don't even know your in their shop until you, yourself speak up......then it's....oh..!!! that's not my department, you'll have to come back.

The point is...I have and you have money in our pockets....ready to exchange it for goods ......Poor service or lack of interest will keep my wallet shut.

This so-called ranting about how unfair it is with no GST on my online purchases doesn't wash down with me.
The real reason people go online is.
1. Better value on goods..!
2. Better Competition......!
3. Better Availability.......!
4. And in some cases....Better shipment and arrival times.

Consider this....if GST was charged on all purchases below $1000.00, you can imagine what effect it would have on sites such as EBAY.

So, to all the retailers out there who disagree, I say...TOO BAD...SO SAD...:D

[astroron]

In 1973 I went to the AWA factory in Parramatta road in Sydney for a job only to be told there where no jobs as they had just stopped making Televisions as they where cheaper to produce over seas:sadeyes:
That has been the pattern for Australian industry ever since.
My Favourite is example is Bonds :mad2: does anyone buy Bonds products any more :question:
I will continue to buy online from and overseas as it is Cheaper and more convenient for me to have goods delivered to my door and a damn site quicker than most companies can provide here in Australia :)
Hardley Normal has lost my Custom:mad2:
See this post on the ABC website for some very interesting replies on this topic:thumbsup:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/07/3108119.htm
Cheers

[el_draco]

Government has come out saying they wont be bullied by retailers.

If Harvey Bloody Norman wants to make more sales he should shoot that SOB responsible for the inane crap advertising that gets rammed down our throats every 10 seconds. I wont buy anything from his company ON PRINCIPLE.

[Gallifreyboy]

One good thing about the disastrous PR campaign to implement GST on e-shoppers from overseas suppliers for purchases sub $1000 is the massive negative response from the public. Admittedly there aren't many times the suggestion of increasing taxes is met favourably. I think it is more than that though as we feel that both price and service from the mega retailers is below par in many areas. Their challenge is to provide us with better prices and service, they could have used some of their (tax deductable) $ for this silly advertising campaign to deliver better value to the consumer. That Mr Harvey and others is what we would like to see.

[Jeffkop]

Firstly ... Im in the "For" camp .. And so you wont find me lamenting poor Mr Normans financial woes ... primarily because as far as Im aware, he doesnt have any, secondly because no-one is lamenting mine.
If he's not happy with his cut .. simple .. get out of it ... IMO ... its all greed.

To finish ... even if they DO WIN and GST applies .. all the advantages (stated in previous posts) of online shopping will still be the same.

[wasyoungonce]

Even with GST added to large expensive heavy items from USA (incl shipping/insurance/customs fees etc)...they more often than not are still quite a bit (a lot) cheaper than here in Aus.

This should not be so.

Gerry has open his mouth so much this time his foot is stuck!

[JethroB76]

I had to laugh when I read this article:
http://www.theage.com.au/business/harvey-hurt-by-buyer-backlash-20110106-19hjx.html



Yes we do, Gerry. That's the problem mate.
Compare the prices in HN even to other locally based shops. The place is a joke.

[torana68]

so they want to inforce an Australian tax on an overseas company? good luck with that idea.... maybe on Australian based companys, who will rapidly go off shore, more jobs lost. Start selling competatively and see how that changes but whilst i can buy the same thing from the US for 1/3 price (sometimes 1/10 A$ price) I wont buy locally.

[The Mekon]

Enforcing tax on overseas companys?? Clearly you do not understand that the final user (ie YOU) pays the GST. I am afraid most of the members on this forum are greedy penny pinchers who refuse to pay there fair share of tax. The $1000 GST free may derive from the concession to overseas travellers. Perhaps each person should be allowed this just once per year, whether travelling overseas or not.

What is more Australian than a fair and even market? At the moment it is skewed towards foreign sellers.

Just wait a few years and we shall be just like Europe with a GST of 20-25%. Then we shall hear the same members now posting here, have a real whinge!

[Barrykgerdes]

I see that everyone thinks we should cut out the middle man and buy overseas because of the mark ups our retailers put on. How many of you people earn a living either directly or indirectly via the retail trade. If these places decide to stop employing because they can't make money who is going to pay off their mortgages which are mainly funded from overseas in any case.:help:

We are lucky in this country that we have a vast resource of assets that can be sold to finance our high standard of living but it won't last forever as a great proportion of these assets is already owned by overseas investors.:(:shrug:

In any case disregard all this as the world will end in 2012. So live it up while you can! :lol:

Barry

[wasyoungonce]

Funny ...a lot of lack of poor sale figures for HN has been actually created by HN buying OS goods and selling here...for a fat profit. The flow on is the reducing manufacturing and jobs in this country..and indeed the same things have happened in the USA. They created a monopoly in bricks and mortar.

Thus when the $Aust raised, individuals were placed in position they could buy from OS more cheaply...exactly what GH did.

So GH got rich doing what he is not wanting us to do.

In the words of Darren Hinch...Shame Gerry Shame!

[wasyoungonce]

Jeez that's a bit harsh. Wasn't it Johny Howard who upped this GST free amount...not the individual.

As for paying tax...jeez just look at that slob lizard Packer. Who sneered at a parliamentary hearing on personal income tax..stating .."...you wouldn't want me to pay more tax that I am entitled...by law".

In actual fact his personnel income tax I believe was in the order of $30,000. It was obvious he was into big tax minimisation..to which the average person cannot attain.

So ..refuse to pay tax and greedy...hmm maybe this should be directed to the top end of town.

[FlashDrive]

Hey Barry......Did someone give you a MAYAN Calendar for Christmas....:D

[mswhin63]

I agree with you Barry, we have only the resource to live by, most retired people have nothing to worry about now but for the younger, you future will be very uncertain.

Personally as more people buy from overseas the less revenue the government will get. Whether it be 1 year or 10 years I think it will be inevitable that GST will be added to overseas purchases maybe as a customs duty which is still a tax.
It is not a vote winning decision so it will be done early after an election to avoid the backlash and can assume only each party wants the other party to do this.

I know the difficulty trading in Australia but I can only try my best. I wish I could earn enough to get out of renting.

I personally do not like Harvey Norman or the other big retailers as they make it difficult for me as well. Like all people have a point to the adding the GST on purchases, Gerry Harvey also has a point and is entitled to his own opinion. Gerry though has the media attention capability which I do not like. I wouldn't be surprised that he pays the networks to air his thoughts as well.

[torana68]

yeah maybe but I dont pay it to the govt the retailer or buiness provider collects it for the government. the ONLY way to collect it would be to stop every parcell comming in and levy "GST" at the border, not doable.... or have a law that requires the business you buy from to collect the "GST" for the Govt... not doable

[Barrykgerdes]

Actually the goverment could easily add GST to all those purchasers without cost to themselves. The delivery people in Australia (PO etc) could be forced to put the tax on these items and collect it for the govt. before they deliver it. This would of course make the delivery more expensive (COD) so they would need to add their cut and the end user would naturally end up paying.

Don't sell GH short. Other businesses tried that and went broke. He bought up the pieces and made a second fortune. KP did the same.

Barry

[snowyskiesau]

Collection of GST on imports of less than $1000 has already been deemed uneconomical to collect according to the Board of Taxation report (http://www.taxboard.gov.au/content/reviews_and_consultations/gst_to_cross_border_transactions/report/gst_cross_border_transactions_repor t.pdf) from February 2010.

It would difficult to justify imposing it 12 months later.

[mswhin63]

:rofl: Has the government done anything sensible, sorry gotta laugh I could imagine them doing the opposite.

[marki]

Now if Gerry really used his noggin he would be demanding the removal of GST from items costing less then $1000.00 to level up the playing field. I am sure he would get the backing of every Australian for that :P:D.


Mark

[The Mekon]

It used to be done!

20 years ago when I was buying astro gear from the USA, I had to pay the sales tax and any duty at the Post Office prior to collecting the item. I can recall paying the 20% sales tax on items that were as little as $200.

As for the those (including the Govt) who claim the cost of collection is more than the tax collected, if it discourages overseas purchases, then the tax take on domestic sales will rise. Either way the governemnet will win.

I'm sorry but I'm with GH all the way on this one.
I have kids that need a future that is not mortgaged overseas.

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

True, in my opinion also. It's a tried and true business model, where you get yourself a high profile, advertise intensively, and you can charge extra.

They have been known for years for this amongst keen comparison shoppers. You could beat their prices in DJs sometimes.

Cheers

[Ephemeral]

Adding GST to the price of goods is not going to make an iota of difference.

What future for your kids, I'm sure they will want to work in HN selling TV's

Do they pay any less in freight/taxes etc in the US to purchase items from China, I don't think so yet they can sell items for 1/2 the price that consumers pay in Aust.

Ok so they have a bigger market, they can sell more items at a lower price you may say

So retailer A in USA marks up his items less but sells more to make the same profit as the retailer B in Australia who sells less but charges more, the way I look at this is profiteering pure and simple. Retailer B wants to be as rich as retailer A but has a market 1/10 the size.

Remember it's these same retailers and producers who undermined industry and manufacturing in Australia so they could get richer at the consumers expense.

[FlashDrive]

[QUOTE=Ephemeral;673974]



So retailer A in USA marks up his items less but sells more to make the same profit as the retailer B in Australia who sells less but charges more, the way I look at this is profiteering pure and simple. Retailer B wants to be as rich as retailer A but has a market 1/10 the size.


Here...Here.....Well said and to the point.....:thumbsup:

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi

I am sure that most of the unhappy respondents have no idea of how the retail trade operate in Australia when they refer to profiteering. The big retailers all compete with each other and charge the lowest prices they can to get the business.

If you check on the investments in these companies and relate this to the annual profit you will find that profit is only a small % of the investment. The overheads in marketing in Australia are immense particularly in the cost of employing sales staff and complying to government regulations.

Online shopping from overseas companies where they do not have these expenses undermines the the profitability of the Australian retailers. This will cause them to downsize and eventually fold and leave all their employees without jobs or income. These people will then need to be paid from welfare (dole) which comes from the government's income. A principal source of this income is GST. No GST! No dole!

Much as we all hate paying GST and other government charges it is how this country is run. None of the "free" services the government supplies are really free. Someone has to pay in the long run.

Of course I am biased in favour of the goverment's money collection policies. They pay me a lucrative indexed pension that keeps me very comfortably in my retirement. So keep up your GST payments.

Barry

[cfranks]

I recently had to put my company into receivership and one of the reasons (and certainly not the greatest) was due to our Government (State) buying from o'seas. The good, recent, 'School Initiative' of giving a lot of money to schools for the purchase of computers has the requirement that the school purchase Dell or HP equipment. HP has some infrastructure here but Dell doesn't have much. Reliable equipment sure, but all the money goes straight out of the country. I no longer worry about any purchases I make.
Charles

[el_draco]

I have to disagree with you on this one. If I have to pay a reasonable amount extra for a product in Australia then I have no problems with that because of the distance component in importing a product from overseas.

What I object to is a business in Australia charging a 500% mark-up and saying "take it or leave it". Thats not a fair and even market. :(

Nor is setting up CARTEL arrangements with foreign companies to prevent competition by banning the export of their products to Australia in an effort to prop up monopolies in this country. Celestron is a PERFECT example of that. :mad2:

I suggest, like many other posters to this thread, that if the Aussie retailers want to keep their customers then they should invest some effort in not treating us like cattle and maybe catching up with the rest of the world in terms of online retail operations. I mean, really, you expect me to pay a huge mark-up AND deal with crap service? :screwy:

Aussie retaillers pushed for "Globalisation" now they have to live with it too. :lol:

[wasyoungonce]

Well funny enough the prices at the major Australian telescope shop retailers appear to be starting to fall.

Mainly on run out models but the signs are appearing.

Anyway the GST will not stay at 10%....it will rise..as with other economies.

[marki]

Oh really? So how was the dole paid for before the GST was dumped on Australians??? If I remember correctly it was sold to the public on the basis that it would simplify the taxation system by getting rid of the rest of the tax's, something that has not happened at least here in WA where stampduties, sales tax etc still exist. Succesive governments have just squandered the extra money raised by this tax which has not been fairly distributed among states as promised when it was implimented. Most the money raised here in WA from the GST is sent east and we get the crumbs as a reward for being the major bread winner for this country. As for retail workers they are amongst the lowest paid workers in Oz and we are supposed to thank Gerry and friends for keeping them that way are we? Perhaps the folding of the australian retail industry is the best thing that could happen for many of its employees as they will find there are a lot of better options out there.

Mark

[GeoffW1]

That damned avatar of yours :lol: I just tried to kill it 3 times :screwy:

[Barrykgerdes]

The dole is always paid from Fed. Government income. The GST was just a new form of sales tax that was implimented to raise an actual increase in revenue for less effort than the collection of sales tax. So the federal government gives the GST to the states. This saved them lots of work and bickering for state grants out of the federal income to run their states

The goverment brings down a budget every year on what it has needs to spend (or waste) on with the amount of money it expects to collect in taxes etc. The bulk of its revenue comes from the general working population either directly by income tax or indirectly other government charges including GST.

At one time governments made their money from excise or import duty so it was largely invisible to the final user. Now with globalisation duty is a naughty word because it allows the rich countries to stay rich at the expense of the poor. While making the very, very rich people in that country, richer.

I will admit I was absolutely against a GST when it was mooted as I had all sorts of loop holes to avoid sales tax. Now I am fully in favour of it and it should be on everything, else the country will eventually go broke.

Barry

[wasyoungonce]

Well not on everything, there would always and should always be exceptions....I mean taxing sick children's/people's medicine would be and is obscene.

VAT I believe is not collected on kids clothing etc in England and they didn't end up in their finical mess because of this...it was big business greed, poor investment margins.

[wasyoungonce]

Anyway this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0defGxmSnM0) video clip shows what they (overseas, Chinese I think) think of this storm ..well it made me laugh..:lol:

[Barrykgerdes]

Yes I agree that some items should not be taxed in this way but it makes collection harder when there are exemptions. So these organisations should be able to get a full refund from the government. Medical expenses however are already subsidised for the card carrying needy so GST is not paid on them.

Yes a lot of the financial woes from governments did come from investing (our money) in schemes that paid above the going rate for interest. That went bust as soon as the economy had a small down turn.

Off the subject but on the cost of health. When I was young the standard cure for most items was castor oil. You needed to be awfully sick for a second opinion. Think of the money that could be saved if the doctors went back to this "cure":lol::lol:

Barry

[hotspur]

I am only very new to this overseas purchasing experience.less than one year.

But the savings have been very good.

But the service is much better than most (not all) retail experiences I've had in
Australia.

But the most important aspect of all,is been able to source items I simply cannot get in this Country.I have found communicating between overseas vendors on unusual items,to be very,very good-these people have a passion for their product.Regardless of GST or no GST I'd still buy a fair bit overseas.

I am feed up with going into HN shops,to spend over a K on a fridge/stove etc and have the sales people have no idea on the product I want to know about.

Sure,you cant get a fridge sent from OS,so shop around,But to my mind service has quite a bit to do with a purchase,not just price-I feel the GST speal by HN is a bit of a vent.

Just my two cents worth.

C

[wasyoungonce]

A little OT..but FWIW..

While the GST income has been a "boon" for the Australian government..the cost of health services, infrastructure, armed services and welfare has risen sharply.

It looks as if we are struggling..with balance sheets but at them moment we are just staying ahead. I'd expect to see a rise in GST rates in lets say 2 years...as with most other countries.

The superannuation savings (investments) Australia has (one of the best in the world) really helped protect us from the GFC...and China kept buying raw materials. This compulsory super was one of the best things Keating did. But he also said the compulsory contribution rates had to rise to keep it self sustaining. This has not happened.

The increased cost of the above is putting pressure on Australia's ability to fund it self...thus I'd expect to see GST and compulsory super contribution rates increase...sometime

[Barrykgerdes]

A mention of sales person product knowledge was mentioned. This is a real problem for big business. I did a sales course nearly 60 years ago where the instructor kept impressing us that you always need to respect the boss (the boss of course was the customer).

The big retail stores know this and try to impress it on their staff but it does not always work with some staff and the problem is that you can't sack these people who ruin your business. They all seem to know the laws and the other problem is that "if you pay peanuts you get monkeys"

Barry

[andrew2008]

Just this morning i bought 2 of O'Meara's books from Amazon. $94 to my door. From the one store here i've found selling them they are $99 each plus postage.

I really don't feel sorry for the retailers here. Good on people for making the most of the high $$$ because it won't last forever. When it gets back to 75-80c compared to the $US i can't see Gerry Harvey going to lobby the government then for the removal of the GST on imports under $1000. The only reason he has backed down appears to me be that there was a backlash against his stores and it was better for his bottom line to keep consumers happy.

[wasyoungonce]

So true..it will not last. I have virtually never seen it this good so buy now ..or maybe never!:(

I purchased a nifty fifty lens from Hn about a week ago...their price was reasonable wrt OS. As long as they can keep prices reasonable people will not buy OS.

[marki]

Even at $1 AU to 70 cents US it is often still cheaper to buy overseas as when this occurs the oz retailers hike their prices even further so the margine stays the same. I have noticed even with the falling US dollar value a number of US retailers are still charging the same or very close to the same price they were before. I wonder how they do it as it seems impossible for our oz retailers so intent on ripping us blind.

Mark

[TrevorW]

Go into a Coles/Woolworths store or any store and be greeted by a sales person with "Can I help you mate", this is some young sales person talking to a mature person.

"Sorry, you are not my mate, you may be if you do me a good deal, but not until"

How about "Good morning, sir or madam can I be of assistance" not likely, a lot of sales staff in Australia are given piecemeal customer relations training.

Or walk up to one and say "excuse me where can I find so and so"

"I'm not sure, try over there", instead of "Sorry but I'm not sure, I will find out for you"

Ok it's not indicative of all sales staff but I bet you can all site occassions when this has happened to you

If Australian retailers employed and trained staff to know a) what they are selling and b) where the products are in the store and to provide a level of service commensurate with the exorbitant prices they charge then maybe people would buy less overseas.

Go into any retailer in Japan and see what service is all about !!!!

Further examples of Australian consurmer rip offs

Woolworths sell loose potatoes for $3 a kg, but a bag of 4kg you can buy for $4 thats a $1 a kg, now it's more economical to buy 4kg but if your a 2 person family the spuds will turn before you get to the end of the bag (food wastage). So these marketing ploys are adding to greenhouse waste and affect the environment.

2 loafs of bread for $6 but if you buy 1 it's $5 dollars go figure.

A pair of jocks (bonds) $20 when made in Australia still $20 now made China.

Contact lens purchased for 1/2 to a 1/3 the price of buying them through your local Optometrist.

These are all examples that lead to the rich getting richer at our expense and when people wake up and started realising they could be cheaper elsewhere/online the reatailers bauk.

Someone please kick sand in their face, they (the rich) may wake up to the fact they owe us for what/where they are not the other way around.

[Trixie]

Then look out how much the supermarket chains pay the potato grower (around 50c a kg). The markup is insane.

[el_draco]

Which is precisely why we should be:
1/ Growing our own where we can
2/ Buying direct from the grower at Farmers Markets where ever possible
3/ Not expecting to eat whatever we want when we want it.

Supermarket chains get away with this crap because consumers let them!

[wasyoungonce]

Have to agree...I mean the fresh food people..what a load of trollop.

They cold store perishables for months in something like carbon dioxide gas to help slow rotting. They call this 'for your convenience"...which is code word for their profit.

Buy the time you get the food..they taste terrible and go off rapidly.

Yet we go back and buy more..well I don't nowdays. We get local fruit veggies delivered. Costs more but they taste better and they last longer. The etxra costs balance as we used to toss a lot of "supermarket fruit and vegies" beasue of early spoliage.

[Ephemeral]

I heard on the news today the 4000 strong Retailers Assoc is backing Hardly Normal

Let me think 20 million consumers against 4000 retailers :screwy:

I think they would be better off keeping their mouths shut on this one

shall we get on the band wagon get a petition togethor seeking to keep the status quo

"Dear PM

We the people of Australia think that retailers in Australia have had it too good for too long.

When the wind changed and the value of the Australian dollar improved they cry foul because we the consumers who have made them rich from our hard earned dollars now have a more viable and alternative way to purchase items at a fair and reasonable price, sometimes foregoing the need of a warranty etc.

We the people of Australia are not agaisnt you imposing GST on goods under $1000 if your Govt so wishes but see no need for this action as it will make very little difference to us purchasing through the internet as the value of items purchased this way are often already a 1/3 the price of similar items sold locally even after payment of freight.

We also cannot understand why the likes of Gerry Harvey have raised this issue as generally we do and still buy items such as washing machines, TV's etc from stores like Harvey Normans to ensure we have an enforceable warranty.

Purchasing overseas and via the internet is not something new many Australians have been doing this for years but with the rise in the value of the $$ many more have found this means of shopping to be a viable proposition.

We the people of Australia implore you to ignore the scare mongering tactics currently being employed by these retailers and not pander to their demands by ensuring the staus quo.

We thank you"

Cut and paste this in a letter to the PM at

http://www.pm.gov.au/PM_Connect/Email_your_PM

change the words as you think fit, I have sent mine you do your bit, stand up for your rights as a consumer

[asimov]

I suggest we all stop whinging about it, & try & do something about it as John suggests. Aussies are good at sitting on their hands & watching our government 'RULE' while we do nothing about it.

Time for this 'hand sitter' to pull one hand out & flip them the bird in this case.

'PM sent' - To the PM.

'Written & spoken by Asimov, the Australian people party, Bundaberg.'

;-)

[Analog6]

Here! Here! They have totally missed the boat.

[wasyoungonce]

Thanks John..I will...edit: I have sent to the PM and local member my own letter on this matter.

The funny thing here is that HN was not part of the retail Assoc and in fact shunned them and mocked them more than once.

Ahhh necessity maketh strange bedfellows!;)

[Barrykgerdes]

Yes. wouldn't it be lovelly if GST was removed on all items under $1000. In fact why stop at $1000.

Problem is the government relies on all forms of tax to meet its budget commitments. If you remove the GST the government will probably find an even worse way to raise the money that is required to keep the country running. This won't worry the government because it gives the GST revenue to the states

In fact with no revenue from GST the states will not be able to provide hospitals, police, roads etc. Oh! I just realised they can't even do that with the GST income.

Barry

[wasyoungonce]

We cannot do without GST..it is part of our tax system that pays for ..well as Barry said, roads/hospitals/much more.

I'm quite happy to pay taxes, although it appears some top end of town minimise their to a level that is insulting to the public.

But on the matter of GST on imports. This was raised under the Howard government (I believe) from $400 to $1000, the same government that brought in the GST.

I believe a recent tax office audit also showed that incepting a GST tax on below $1000 imports would be "un-feasible", see post #22 by Geoff. Now these are the professionals in this area so we have to abide by the referee here.

It appears GH and such like embrace globalisation ...for themselves..but when it is applied by individuals...they whine like ill fed rabid dogs.

How can Win7 pro cost $399 in HN (http://www.harveynorman.com.au/product/1255509384380/microsoftr-windowsr--professional)yet for as little as $89 ($USD) in USA. (http://software-supreme.com/shop/search/?s=windows%20%257&cpn=www_saflii_info_soft_ports4).(o k not the best example as the last is OEM sales) more on this price gouging here (http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home_Office/Industry/F6U7E4Q9).

Me thinks they are enjoying their monopoly.

Well FWIW..my letter. Maybe a little strong but it's from the heart.

[TrevorW]

I've done as John suggested and sent an email

We can probably all site cases of exorbitant mark up's which as consumers we've allowed because of lack of competition

it's about time we stopped thinking "she'll be right, mate" and get off our Bsides and act

this also goes for the likes of Coles/Woolworths and the petroleum cartels who have set prices to control the market

[andrew2008]

I agree with the hand sitting and think it's sad.

The french government tried to raise the retirement age to 62 and there were mass protests. I'm 26 and will have to work until i'm 67 and people barely batted an eyelid.
Now it's visible in the UK where students are protesting ridiculous rises in the cost of tertiary education. Who can seriously see Aussie students doing the same if it were happening here?

[marki]

Sent my letter to julia :).


Mark

[TrevorW]

Article in today's West Australian says "Gillard kills off hope of online tax"

send a letter anyhow

[Steffen]

If local stores could match my self-import + 10% I'd gladly buy local. Even if they matched my self-import + overseas shipping + 10%, and then some.

The issue isn't the 10% GST, and Gerry Harvey knows that. He's after the $50 customs handling fee that would have to be slapped on every imported item in order to make it sustainable for customs.

Funny enough, even then I think I'd be way ahead with most of my self-imports. That's how bad the price gouging is.

Many shops have all that retail staff running (sitting) around, but can't make them add value to my shopping. If they would make those extra expenses they have (shop rent, staff salaries etc) work to produce value for the customer I'm sure most people would love to make use of that. Sadly, all these expenses are wasted and the shopping experience is actually worse than sterile, impersonal, slow or risky online shopping.

There are exceptions of course, some local retailers do provide excellent pre- and after-sales support without robbing you blind. I gladly support those (if I can find them) and will continue to do so.

Now Gerry, show us the holes in your socks once more...

Cheers
Steffen.

[snowyskiesau]

There's an excellent article over at theregister.co.uk (http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2011/01/10/internet_tax_row/) that discusses this issue, mainly in relation to consumer computer equipment.
It dismisses the GST and the exchange rate as reasons for the enormous difference between US (for example) and Australian prices.

[blindman]

Guys,
if only we cut monies going to UK, ... we will be Rich Country (and Republic
:P
Cheers

[blindman]

Did you sign petition against GST online?