Thread: July the 1st 2018 GST On Low Value Imported Goods

Originally Posted by ian

Perhaps the "simplest" solution for an Australian consumer is to register for GST and obtain an ABN. As Penguin Management say:


This new GST legislation only applies to the sales of low value imported goods to consumers in Australia.
If [you are] a registered business, (that is, not a consumer) who purchased the goods for use in their business in Australia you do not charge them GST and they [AUS registered businesses] are not required to pay [GST on low value imports].
If your business is a recipient of low-value goods, you should notify your suppliers of your GST registration to ensure you are not being charged twice for GST.

But if you are a consumer you can’t register for it and if you are a business you can already claim it back.
Isnt the whole point of this to pick up the gst from consumers who are currently avoiding paying the tax by purchasing O/S ?

Originally Posted by Beardy

Isnt the whole point of this to pick up the gst from consumers who are currently avoiding paying the tax by purchasing O/S ?

Gerry and his ilk would have you believe that the only reason anyone in Australia would ever buy anything overseas is to avoid paying the GST. He will also tell you in 25,000 words or more how this makes it an uncompetitive environment for retailers in Australia.

He and his cronies are conveniently ignoring the fact that the price difference between buying here and overseas is considerably more than the 10% GST would ever cover.

He and his cronies are conveniently ignoring the fact that many of the items being purchased overseas simply aren't available here (supposedly there is no demand for them, but like the chicken and the egg, if there was no demand, why are folks buying them overseas?)

He and his cronies will be sure to tell you that the moment any Australian consumer is asked to pay GST on the items they are purchasing overseas, that the benefit of buying overseas will immediately be nullified and this will be a huge benefit to Australian retailers.

If you believe all the above, head to the market place forums here, I'm listing a bridge I have for sale.

The reality is that a there are a large number of products that just aren't available here, or the alternatives that are available here are cheap, poor quality items and many won't be interested in buying them.

The reality is that the price difference between buying overseas versus here is often multiples of whatever the GST would represent.

Australian retail, and distributors, need a very swift kick if they really want to compete with their overseas "competitors" - product choice, pricing, and service levels all would need to be changed dramatically. There are very few people who have experience in overseas retail that I talk to who are not appalled at the level of service, professionalism, and pricing structure of our retail stores here.

But, ultimately, yes, the idea behind these changes is to collect the GST on all overseas purchases bound for Australia, as opposed to having a $1000 minimum before it would apply.

Originally Posted by Beardy

Isnt the whole point of this to pick up the gst from consumers who are currently avoiding paying the tax by purchasing O/S ?

If that was genuinely the case, then the lower limit would be something like $300, because the $30 GST on that might almost make it worthwhile collecting, from an economic point of view. Collecting $2 GST on a $20 item is plain bloody stupid economically. Even if there is a $5 fee it will still be -ve income, apart from the hue and cry the pollies will ultimately get.

As I've said before, directly to you, and numerous times to boot, if it was only about collecting GST - increasing the Govt coffers - then why did Harvey & co have to lobby so hard for so long?
Why did the Productivity Commission have a different view?
If it made any economic sense to collect GST on $5 items then it would have either always been the case, or implemented asap after it was suggested all those years ago (5? 8?).

Think of it this way - why do you suppose that the Howard Govt set the limit at $1000 in the first place? To give us suckers an even break on small packages?I really do not think so. Maybe it was because it was deemed as the break even threshold....just maybe. In other words, it costs the same amount of time/money to collect $1, or $100, or $1000 in GST. I'm gunna have a wild guess that the cost is.....$100....back in 2000 (I assume) when the laws were introduced (when everything is considered - wages, cost of storage, IT systems blah blah).

So if anything, the threshold should be increasing to around $1500 if it was to make economic sense.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

The reality is that the price difference between buying overseas versus here is often multiples of whatever the GST would represent.

What Gerry Harvey was really asking for, and got, was a tariff wall to protect Australian retail. The GST component may be justified, except that in reality the 'processing fee', which we don't even know the dollar price of, as of opening business tomorrow in the first day of trade under this scheme, will be to cover the massive cost of counting pennies for Gerry's benefit. In effect, it is the processing fee that has the potential to be the tariff wall, behind which 'competitive' will just be an ironic joke.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Gerry and his ilk would have you believe that the only reason anyone in Australia would ever buy anything overseas is to avoid paying the GST. He will also tell you in 25,000 words or more how this makes it an uncompetitive environment for retailers in Australia.

He and his cronies are conveniently ignoring the fact that the price difference between buying here and overseas is considerably more than the 10% GST would ever cover.

He and his cronies are conveniently ignoring the fact that many of the items being purchased overseas simply aren't available here (supposedly there is no demand for them, but like the chicken and the egg, if there was no demand, why are folks buying them overseas?)

He and his cronies will be sure to tell you that the moment any Australian consumer is asked to pay GST on the items they are purchasing overseas, that the benefit of buying overseas will immediately be nullified and this will be a huge benefit to Australian retailers.

If you believe all the above, head to the market place forums here, I'm listing a bridge I have for sale.

The reality is that a there are a large number of products that just aren't available here, or the alternatives that are available here are cheap, poor quality items and many won't be interested in buying them.

The reality is that the price difference between buying overseas versus here is often multiples of whatever the GST would represent.

I agree entirely.

Recently I bought an Igaging Absolute Vernier Caliper from Amazon in the U.S. it cost me about $63.00 aud including shipping and import fees, I looked at it on the Amazon Australia site and there was a huge difference in price, it was $241.31 .

https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-ABSOL...70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com.au/iGaging-AB...ernier+Caliper

What a stuff-up!

Alan...

Originally Posted by HypnoToad

it cost me about $63.00 aud including shipping and import fees, I looked at it on the Amazon Australia site and there was a huge difference in price, it was $241.31 .

I dunno what yer problem is. 4x the price sounds fair to me.

Is that a good and fair result Beardy?

The is the price in Australia of the igage verniers
https://thewoodkid.com.au/shop/igagi...gital-caliper/

I've been watching this thread since it started, my goodness.

Reminds me of the time when GST was being discussed in parliament and the hypothetical scenario of someone hiring a prostitute prior to midnight on June the 30th 2000, then some time later (after midnight) the customer requests an additional but related service, would GST then apply, or, would it be treated as a single unfinished service; therefore not requiring a GST component.

The mind boggled then and after reading day by day the ensuing discussions, the mind boggles now.

To put your minds to rest, today I purchased some small items from EBay, direct from China. I have no idea whether or not the company is big, small or otherwise. But, and it is a good but so far. GST was charged and has been forwarded to "[email protected]".

It is at the end of the transaction record and under the heading, "Related Payment".

So, as far as EBay is concerned, I would suggest it is a big yawn.

In another life I was a wholesale tax collector as I was a manufacturer, when GST arrived, we just switched to collecting GST and having an ABN; not a big deal at all.

In fact small businesses, along with some not so well run larger businesses, benefited mightily from the introduction of GST. All of a sudden they had to ensure their accounting was correct and spot on, otherwise they would not be collecting their GST credits and as a result incurring avoidable losses.

Mick.

Originally Posted by Optimark

....would it be treated as a single unfinished service; therefore not requiring a GST component.

Well now I guess that just depends......

Steady on, my response was in regards to Ian’s post of registering for GST to claim it back and what I was saying was that if you are not a business but a consumer then you wouldn’t be a able to which is what the GST is for.

Out of curiosity did labor etc oppose this change or is everyone in on it?

Originally Posted by Lappa

The is the price in Australia of the igage verniers
https://thewoodkid.com.au/shop/igagi...gital-caliper/

$10 cheaper at Timbecon https://www.timbecon.com.au/measurin...rnier-calipers

Different caliper I believe - cheaper unit from the same company.

https://www.thearchitectsguide.com/a...igital-caliper

I know this was raised near the beginning, but I couldn't figure out a straight yes/no answer from the discussion...

Does it apply to second-hand goods as well?