another kick to the importers hip pocket

[ozpont]

Our federal taxation is on the climb .. A LOT.. for some yesterdays news about 457  Visa's is a timed smoke screen for hidding todays re- released news about the pending GST on personal imports is not the news they thought could happen but has been in the pipeline for a few years.. and NOT going to be popular with us peasants.. (add that the smoke and mirrors news today that Ebay claims they'll not allow Australians to buy overseas if they have to become tax collectors.. )
     
     But behind this is in the last year.. a whole series of quiet little fee add ons or increases or new ones.. like Supplier Code fees on EVERY Importer source named. ( ie different companies you buy from overseas)..
now.. just got this nice little earner for the Feds...  from our Customs Brokers.. explaining a new little twist.. in how to get tax without it being .. a tax... Where does this end..?

Good Morning Dave,

Late last year Customs introduced changes to the way the marine insurance is to be calculated for GST purposes on a Customs entry.

For the past 20 years if the exact marine insurance value wasn’t known, the industry standard was take  .0025% of the commercial invoice total for this amount.

However as per the attached Australian Customs Notice, they have now had a change of view on this matter and asked for marine insurance to be calculated at 10% of the commercial invoice value in instances where the marine insurance is not known at the time of preparing the customs entry.

For example, if a shipment has a value of 120,000AUD. In the past the brokers would have declared insurance of 300AUD but now have to declare 12000AUD for insurance, which would result in a extra 1200AUD payable in GST on Customs entry.

If you can please kindly advise the marine insurance payable on your imports (it will be a % of the consignment total), we will pass this information onto our broker, who will record this information moving forward.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if any of the above is unclear.

Thank you

[Zoltan]

None of this makes any sense at all...

Take, for instance Software, music, video content and so on. The web software is developed overseas, hosted on an overseas server for anyone to pay for and download.

So, when we purchase an item, does this mean we now need to pay GST on those items? What for? The goods are not made here, the services are not provided here... how (legally) can this be said that or government can collect tax from this? A quick download of a VPN program can by-pass any controls over this anyway. All you need is a bank account in a country that does not have GST... viola, tax free content.

Why is this any different to importing goods? Physical goods, it's easier to track them, the only VPN that carries physical goods coming into the country are little boats that by-pass customs. Everything else, well, isn't there import duties etc? You know, the ones that are suppose to be there to protect our local industry... oh wait... what local industry? We don't make anything any more.

So what's all the fuss about? Are we in so much debt that our government have to "invent" ways of having everyone pay for it...?

[69DirtyRat]

Just pure Greed on the governments behalf! again ordinary people end up paying more indirect taxes on taxes on taxes!

[ozpont]

Just further.. another part of the new hidden charging besides the  SUPPLIER CODE FEE of Min $83 on each entry.. is .. If a importer..( thats YOU).. does not have a declared Insurance on the freight.. then..

"Kindly note, if there is no marine insurance issued, or the values is unknown, our broker is required to report marine insurance as 10% of the commercial value for customs purposes."

meaning.. 10% is added to the SHIPPING COST..   to sub for insurance..  SO THEY CAN THEN.. add 10% of that  as extra in gst.

Inventive taxation....