Australian Government can block overseas online stores if GST not collected - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:26:51 pm
content: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/09/the-australian-government-will-block-online-stores-not-collecting-gst/QuoteMassive fail right here, $75k is nothing when you talk about turnover, not profit.Going to effect everyone, software, website design, physical products, test equipment, car parts, etc etc.What happens if a company sell ONE $75,000 item to Australia ?Do they have to go through all that paperwork and expense for one sale ?This people is why you NEVER EVER vote in a government who's only policy is to cut spending. Retards have no sensible policies for anything.

author: Jeff_Birt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:42:58 pm
content: In the state of Missouri (USA) it is the buyers responsibility to pay sales tax, even if they buy from another state. Of course this is impossible to enforce so the states try to get other states to collect the tax for them. I don't understand why I as a business owner am responsible for collecting taxes for another state let alone another country.

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:55:16 pm
content: In Canada it's just levied when it's imported. How difficult is that?

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:57:23 pm
content: The crazy thing in this story isn't taxes: it's government control of the Internet. Do they seriously believe they can "block" anything?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:57:43 pm
content: I wonder how anyone would expect to be able to audit an overseas company for compliance.Quote from: boffin on September 13, 2016, 03:55:16 pmThat's the only way I could see it operating within the jurisdiction ofanygovernment.

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 03:59:51 pm
content: Good luck getting blood out of eBay, aliexpress, amazon independents.

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 04:06:35 pm
content: I guess this can a reason to get trouble for Australia on wto. Tax can't be exported

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 10:26:05 pm
content: Quote from: boffin on September 13, 2016, 03:55:16 pmThis new tax requirement was originally targeting electronically distributed goods, but has been expanded to include tangible goods which are currently getting in under the $1000 tax free threshold. Anything over $1000 was already being taxed on import, but expensive software and services were being sold into the Australian market from overseas locations to avoid paying tax locally.Quote from: RGB255_0_0 on September 13, 2016, 03:59:51 pmThe government has discussed pushing down the tax free threshold for imports to boost local sales even when the cost of recovering that tax exceeds the revenue generated, so its time to fight dirty. If the threshold is dropped to zero I hope the politicians will enjoy the flood of 1c and 5c items I will be posting to them from china.Quote from: station240 on September 13, 2016, 03:26:51 pmThat brings it in line with the requirements for Australian businesses to collect GST when their turnover exceeds $75,000. This is targeting those companies who setup offshore while selling into Australia, so its not unreasonable to have the limit set based on their turnover from Australia to the same level as if they had an Australian based operation making those sales.The big targets are companies like Apple and Netflix et al, who setup specific store fronts for Australians (preventing them from accessing other countries offerings) withinflatedspecial Australian pricing yet pipe all the money to an offshore tax haven. They can't double dip and not expect a pushback, offer an international option paid in US currency or some such and the Australian government would be hard pressed to argue they should get any tax from it.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2016, 10:36:04 pm
content: Quote from: helius on September 13, 2016, 03:57:23 pmThis is just another flavour of Stephen Conroy's internet filter (his idea was to introduce mandatory filtering of child abuse websites by all ISPs). People weren't opposed to it because of the content that they wanted to block, it was more so to do with the fact that it simply wouldn't work and would ultimately be an entire waste of money.If a school student can get around internet filters with ease, what makes the Government think that it's going to be any different in the real world?

author: TAMHAN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2016, 12:43:29 am
content: For most companies, the answer, when asked by an Australian government employee to do anything, would be FUCK YOU. And this would be the most friendly response: I would allow my employees to do whatever, or to just ignore the email.In fact, I believe this policy will not last long. Democ-rat-s dislike being shown the limits of their power. And laws which lead to many such situations tend to either get repealed or forgotten.

author: System Error Message
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2016, 12:51:46 am
content: When it comes to cutting spending, they usually go for the wrong thing. A lot of things are tied together. For countries where medical is free or subsidised, cutting back on it will reduce productivity so you end up with less turnover, less taxes to get from income and so on.Its the same problem some have with immigration. The problem isnt immigration itself as people like to generalise. From what i see the riots in australia isnt related to religion as there are cases in other countries where you get backlash from the african communities for the wrong thing. Its in their nature, they just use it as an excuse to vandalise and rob. For example the police having to shoot an african immigrant because he wouldnt stop going after the police, even though the cop shot the limbs the guy wouldnt stop so he had no choice. The african community in that area rioted, smashed into shops and looted. In that case the africans involved werent even muslims. In the middle east, less educated immigrants are separated from the population. Once they finish their work at the factory or similar they are sent back once their contract/job is finished. They arent allowed to mingle with the local population and there are night markets meant for them which the locals dont go to at the time of day. western countries like US and australia originated after the brits migrated. After they were established people were complaining about irish immigrants. Now we have issues with african immigrants. So in the west its part of the culture for immigrants to be given equal treatment and full opportunities.You also cant charge a foreign business for a local tax. GST or sales tax or VAT is collected locally on the purchase (its a cost that customers pay for buying, not the business). Infact steam has been charging GST/VAT on countries where it is possible (where they can apply bank/accounting on it automatically).There has been so much silliness in politics all over the western world. In the UK brexit has put the agreement with scotland in shambles, its like whoever started brexit never bothered to check all the webs and contracts in place.Controlling the internet is no different either and china does it on a large scale. Its not impossible. Makes you wonder, is the government for the people or the people for the government? Really turns democracy into a dictatorship instead.

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2016, 07:23:35 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on September 13, 2016, 10:36:04 pmI wonder how much it's cost the UK to enforce the blocking of torrent sites. Doesn't suppress piracy one bit as there are millions of proxies out there: reminds me of the Napster days and then when that closed Kazaa and others sprung up.Politicians just don't understand the real world whatsoever

author: R005T3r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2016, 07:53:09 am
content: Quote from: helius on September 13, 2016, 03:57:23 pmUse proxies and open DNS and you are good to go.

author: R005T3r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2016, 08:17:44 am
content: Quote from: RGB255_0_0 on September 14, 2016, 07:23:35 amPoliticians will never-ever understand the world we are living because they are there to do nothing but chit chatting and earning money for that. The best thing you can do is don't care them... It's not worth even discussing it.Online piracy will never be defeated. Even if there's no torrent available nor a proxy, there's still direct download, under licensing, and all the other infrigments. In my opinion a reform of the copyright law is necessary to re-equlibrate the equations and moderate all the BS that comes with it: I buy a product, well I can do what I want with it if I don't earn from it. It's not possible that if someone who is buying a book the 10-20% of the revenue goes to the author and the rest is divided with the editor and the publisher, and the digital edition is time limited..As a reguard they are censoring the internet, it's simply ait's not possible to do so, because I wonder how the media and journalists can avoid the censorship. If they can, we can, so there is a way, it's just hidden...

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2016, 01:19:41 pm
content: The people making the laws are technical imbeciles. They are an embarrassment. Most of the politicians are self-serving ex-lawyers or some other other of waste of oxygen when it comes to technical ability. These clowns will not be able to enforce the tax and there will be ways around it. They and their overpaid "technical" advisers simply do not have the brains to think something like this out properly. One unfortunate outcome is many vendors simply won't export to Australia because it will be too hard considering the politicians have over the course of many years created one of the most complex convoluted tax systems in the world. Our politicians are generally despised and they wonder why.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2016, 01:34:35 pm
content: I don't understand the uproar here.We have been repeatedly assured that most Aussies don't buy from places like eBay, Amazon or aliezpress (I may have missed others) and they hate those places for taking jobs away from Australia.If that's true, you would think this policy has popular support and that's how democracy works.Now, do we only want democracy that benefits us individually?

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 08:23:28 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on September 15, 2016, 01:34:35 pmWRONG. You'd have to be stirring the pot, or you don't know what you are talking about. Probably both. Most Australians will buy from whatever is cheapest, even if it means as a consequence their neighbour will lose his job. Most of us simply do not care. All Australian flags made in China and no-one cares. Our government is now outsourcing our military uniforms to their comrades in China rather than having quality uniforms made here. In another time, those who betrayed their country would be have been shot at dawn. These days, it is every man for himself.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 09:45:54 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on September 15, 2016, 01:34:35 pmAssured by whom? Gerry Harvey?QuoteIt's a red herring argument. Democracy is most effective when people make informed choices during an election. The democratic process can be subverted by deliberately misinforming the public, withholding information that could impact the public; and of course, you can never overlook the tried and tested method: lining the pockets of politicians. Oh yeah, and you have ignorance and apathy to contend with as well.Also, I'm not sure where you get the idea that this policy is what got the current government elected. Nonsense.

author: julian1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 11:35:35 pm
content: I recently purchased a utility knife, with a 1 inch folding blade from a US small-shop fabricator.Tracking shows It's been sitting in customs for two and half weeks, presumably as customs bureacrats assess it against the relevant legislation defining prohibited weapons.We really are the nanny-state.

author: bitslice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 11:42:10 pm
content: Quote from: RGB255_0_0 on September 14, 2016, 07:23:35 amFor some sites it's just a matter of adding an Sblocked by my ISP:http://www.torrentdownloads.me/not blocked by my ISP:https://www.torrentdownloads.me/morons, the whole lot of them...

author: System Error Message
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 11:58:29 pm
content: There should be new requirements for being a politician. Politicians must live in government made low income housing, use public transport and have the income of the national average. Those big government buildings/palaces must only be used for government business like meetings and not for people to live in.

author: Short Circuit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2016, 02:44:09 am
content: Not that exceptional really.Within the EU, companies have to collect tax for other countries if the revenue is above a limit, which varies between 30K and 100K euro.So a dutch company which sells over 100K to german private customers has to collect the german vat tariff and pay that to german authorities.http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/vat-customs/cross-border/index_en.htm

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2016, 03:00:42 am
content: Quote from: System Error Message on September 16, 2016, 11:58:29 pmA few more:They cannot have conflicts of interest.They cannot have been convicted criminals.The must live in the area they represent for at least 5 years.The cannot receive party donations from companies.The should be charged with fraud for lying to get elected.They should be personally accountable for monumental project stuff-ups.Their pay rise percentages should not exceed those of the lowest paid government workers.They should not have trips, hotels, fares etc paid for by foreign companies.Politicians in Australia are guilty of the above and they get away with it.And finally...They should represent the people who voted them in above all else.

author: MatthewMorgan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 05:04:38 pm
content: Quote from: bitslice on September 16, 2016, 11:42:10 pmThe network i'm on does not even need to be ssl (Maybe due to it being a corporate type network).

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 06:12:19 pm
content: This is pretty much how it works in the UK and Europe. If you are dealing outside of Europe you would have to charge VAT. If you are dealing with in your own country or Europe if you are in the EU then you don't have to charge VAT or you charge it and the customer can then reclaim it if they are a business customer.Having just registered for VAT myself I do find VAT in the UK quite a nightmare. VAT is the equivalent of the Australian GST. So when I sell to a company now I have to charge them VAT. That company will pay me my price plus VAT and I will have to hold onto that VAT and packed the government every quarter. My customer company in turn will claim that VAT back every quarter so in effect the government is just wasting money on paperwork taking the money off of me and then given it back to my customer. Why don't they just let me not charged VAT if the customer is VAT registered and then we are all quits. Likewise everything I buy has to be bought including VAT and then I claim it back so the company I have bought the item from is having to act as a tax collector for the government whose officials then have to give me the money back. Did we say at each of our governments wanted to make cuts? Will we know where they can start.

author: System Error Message
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 07:49:52 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on September 18, 2016, 06:12:19 pmVAT registered companies dont have to charge VAT to other VAT registered companies, they just have to keep a report of the transaction. Not sure if thats been removed but whenever i order stuff from a supplier (like buying pc or networking equipment) theres always a field for your VAT number so you dont have to pay VAT if the product isnt for sale to the regular people.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 08:14:57 pm
content: I think maybe there are different ways of doing it. In my case my accountant has told me that I have to charge VAT and that the government will charge me that money. And my customers in turn will have to reclaim that VAT. My accountant has also positively told me that I have to pay VAT on anything I buy and then claim it back. I think perhaps larger or longer established companies don't have to do this but this is the way some companies are being made to operate and it is just paperwork upon paperwork over money that is not actually being collected by the government because 1st they take it off you and then they pay it back to somebody else after you charge them for it.

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 08:59:27 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on September 18, 2016, 08:14:57 pmI think your accountant just wants an easier job as it's one less pile of receipts.If you deal with large companies many of them won't charge the VAT if you are registered. Other times you just collect your VAT receipt and deal with it all quarterly and you work out the difference and pay it like you would PAYE, pension, NI etc.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 18, 2016, 09:01:48 pm
content: Quote from: RGB255_0_0 on September 18, 2016, 08:59:27 pmThat is what is happening. I'm sure it will be a lot cheaper and easier all round if we all dealt in not paying VAT if we are registered. I did buy some software and was asked for my VAT number but unfortunately the website didn't accept mine as it decided it was the wrong format so yes some companies may be able to charge just the cost price without the VAT if you can provide of registration.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 07, 2019, 12:58:22 pm
content: NOTE: This message has been deleted by the forum moderator Simon for being against the forum rules and/or at the discretion of the moderator as being in the best interests of the forum community and the nature of the thread.If you believe this to be in error, please contact the moderator involved.An optional additional explanation is: