Thread: GST for internet-bought stuff under $1000.00 ?

I guess we'll know in a few hours.
This really aggravates me I recently contacted a well known Aussie chain of booksellers.
They could get a particular book for me (it would have to come from overseas) in six weeks.Maybe.
The price would be $38.00. Same book online from U.K. was $18.00 and would arrive in two weeks
with free shipping !!

The rather long-winded point I'm trying to make is that if Aussie bricks and mortar shops can't
or won't compete with online businesses, they go to the government and demand they introduce
what is to me, a tarriff on imported goods.

If this new piece of legislation is introduced, I guess it will affect all of us.
I pay enough for my shaving soaps and colognes, the shipping cost is a killer for Aussies.
What say you ?

IIRC, here you were always liable to pay the sales tax due on imported goods along with whatever tariffs/duties were also owing. It hurts when you have never had to do that before but I don't think it is too uncommon a practice. The big difference is in how the customs and excise people choose to enforce things.

Bob

So the government is raising revenue again... Not much of a surprise

Originally Posted by onimaru55

So the government is raising revenue again... Not much of a surprise

Yea, that is the nature of the beast no matter where you find it.

Bob

The government charges for everything related to business is the reason they aren't able to compete in the first place. I do a lot of work in various business and they all say it gets harder each year with all the cost increases

Sounds like Atlas is shifting. I don't see how y'all put up with that type of criminality, at least a gunman has the decency not to tell you "it's for your own good" when he robs you. But fear not as you are not alone in the world when it comes to criminal government (cough, cough).

Our government is saying it will cost more to manage than they will earn. It is the retailers who are pushing for it here.

Originally Posted by Grazor

Our government is saying it will cost more to manage than they will earn. It is the retailers who are pushing for it here.

It is funny and sad that retailers would want that as generally they are a conservative bunch and support governments that encourage free trade. Now they want back door protectionism when they fail to compete globally. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

Bob

In SA all imports obviously have to go through Customs who then decide whether the item attracts duties as per the international customs code but it doesn't stop there.

They convert the foreign amount at the prevailing exchange rate and use that as a basis to calculate VAT, which is 14%. They then decide for all their trouble to add 10% onto the VAT amount effectively levying it at 15.4% and then a R20 documentation fee.

Fortunately, if the value of the item is below USD20 it generally doesn't attract VAT and only the documentation fee.

All the above is all well and good but the first major hurdle one has to cross, is getting your goods delivered to your local Post Office and to escape the clutches of those pilfering bastards at the International Mail Centre. I imported parts for my car last year which have never showed up and it took 2 months to get razor blades from Singapore.

I'm extremely loath to import items such as razors, brushes and hones because of these sticky fingers. I can use a service such as Stackry or Postbox-Courier but unless I have enough items to warrant the courier fees, importing once off items becomes prohibitive.

Originally Posted by Thug

All the above is all well and good but the first major hurdle one has to cross, is getting your goods delivered to your local Post Office and to escape the clutches of those pilfering bastards at the International Mail Centre. I imported parts for my car last year which have never showed up and it took 2 months to get razor blades from Singapore.

I'm extremely loath to import items such as razors, brushes and hones because of these sticky fingers. I can use a service such as Stackry or Postbox-Courier but unless I have enough items to warrant the courier fees, importing once off items becomes prohibitive.

Sorry to hear about the crappy situation with the SA postal service and pilfering. A lot of people bitch about our postal system here but got to say, touch wood, pilfering has not been often heard as a complaint, at least from me. Generally pretty confident that CanPost will get it here from customs although it can take a while.

Bob