Australians may face 10% tax on Steam transactions - Polidicks

I guess most of my purchases through g2a and similar websites then

Isn't there already a PC Gamer bot that posts news from there?

this tax is so backwards. furthering new trade is not done by upping the tax of digital goods even more, everyone already IS paying taxes on digital goods.

[QUOTE=Killuah;47676274]this tax is so backwards. furthering new trade is not done by upping the tax of digital goods even more, everyone already IS paying taxes on digital goods.[/QUOTE] No, they aren't paying tax on it. Right now if you buy something online here for less than $1,000, there's no tax on it. This changes that, by applying the same 10% GST (VAT) that physical retailers have to collect.

[QUOTE=isnipeu;47676257]Isn't there already a PC Gamer bot that posts news from there?[/QUOTE] I doubled checked there wasn't a post about this before posting :)

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;47676032]So like how is this implemented, does PayPal and Google Wallet have to add these fees on or is it done when anything is purchased with your debit card?[/QUOTE] It's already implemented in other online stores They just add it before checkout [t]http://7proxies.pw/i/2015/05/15-05-07_18-50-50.png[/t] [editline]7th May 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47676034]What the fuck this is hilariously outrageous. Watch as every aussie gets on a VPN and starts paying USD prices again or better yet. Get their steam keys from GMG. Lmao good luck trying to keep that 10% tax.[/QUOTE] This wont work unless you have a bank account from that country src: [url]https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6627-QSNM-5276[/url]

fuck this country and company if they go through with this i [B]will[/B] move to piracy

I don't think I get it entirely, y'all don't pay taxes on the online games yet, yet, as far as i've heard, you pay more for games already anyway, so where does the initial price raise come from? Then at the same time, using XE's exchange rates, paying 96 aus dollars is about the same as we would pay here for GTA 5, so the price ISN'T higher? I'm lost. [editline]7th May 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Gar92;47676225]Is Australia still obsessed with monitoring game contain? Didn't they stop editions of GTA San andreas from being sold because of the hot coffee mod?[/QUOTE] Thats idiotic.

The Australian dollar is shit right now as well, so games bought from steam end up costing a lot more anyway.

This, combined with the shit aussie dollar & possible VPN bans in Australia seems to me as if I should move. Nothing really good produced locally to replace most games so, I guess it may be time to save money to move to somewhere alike (looking at you canada)

[QUOTE=sirdownloadsalot;47676409]The Australian dollar is shit right now as well, so games bought from steam end up costing a lot more anyway.[/QUOTE] Yeah, welcome to the club, pal. [IMG]http://abload.de/img/euruzsru.jpg[/IMG] I mean, well, we still pay in Euro so it's not that much of a big deal. It's still ridiculous.

[QUOTE=MyAlt91;47676400]I don't think I get it entirely, y'all don't pay taxes on the online games yet, yet, as far as i've heard, you pay more for games already anyway, so where does the initial price raise come from? Then at the same time, using XE's exchange rates, paying 96 aus dollars is about the same as we would pay here for GTA 5, so the price ISN'T higher? I'm lost.[/QUOTE] The price difference comes from a number of factors, mostly the higher wages here and the costs of shipping (I know that doesn't apply to digital retailers, but if publishers didn't price their games the same on digital storefronts, physical retailers would kick up shit about it like they have in the UK).

[QUOTE=TacticalBacon;47676448]The price difference comes from a number of factors, mostly the higher wages here and the costs of shipping (I know that doesn't apply to digital retailers, but if publishers didn't price their games the same on digital storefronts, physical retailers would kick up shit about it like they have in the UK).[/QUOTE] I see, thats fucked man. Just checked the prices, you indeed pay like 20 AUS dollars more, including conversion. I feels ya, I feels ya.

[QUOTE=Antdawg;47676052]Then they pay GST on the VPN. And tax avoidance isn't very smart.[/QUOTE] Last I checked nobody's ever been arrested and charged for buying things online to avoid sales tax.

I don't get the problem here. GST should be applied to online sales. Why should only retailers that have a physical presence in Aus be shafted with the tax to have to pass on to consumers? This is good, maybe not for the end consumers, but for fairness across the board.

[QUOTE=TestECull;47676709]Last I checked nobody's ever been arrested and charged for buying things online to avoid sales tax.[/QUOTE] Tax avoidance isn't smart because that's only going to press the government harder for closing tax loopholes [editline]7th May 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Antdawg;47676075]Seller collects GST equal to 10% of sales price, charged to the customer (it's a value-added tax). Seller then uses their GST collected to offset GST that they have paid themselves, and sends the remainder to the tax office.[/QUOTE] Can people explain why they are rating this as disagree? It's literally how our GST works, with some items GST-exempt

[QUOTE=Antdawg;47676231]Because you get paid $20 per hour to pack shelves here but like only $8 per hour in the US. Considering that, games are actually cheaper here in terms of how many hours you need to work to save up for a game.[/QUOTE] But if you're w/ out a job and dependent on your parents to help you, buying an expensive game can be a massive draw back Esp if you're in a family where money is tight, it's not fair on people who struggle to make ends meet

Old men who don't know shit about the internet should not be in charge of it, fuck this government

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;47677119]But if you're w/ out a job and dependent on your parents to help you, buying an expensive game can be a massive draw back Esp if you're in a family where money is tight, it's not fair on people who struggle to make ends meet[/QUOTE] If money is tight I don't think video games should be a high priority

I remember last time this was said and the time before that, It never happen.

[QUOTE=sirdownloadsalot;47676409]The Australian dollar is shit right now as well, so games bought from steam end up costing a lot more anyway.[/QUOTE] The AUD hasn't really moved, the USD has appreciated a lot which makes it seem like ours is worth 'less' than it used to be. In reality the USD is just worth more than it was before.

If I was an australian, I would cancel playing videogames as a hobby. The only joy I would have was to reenact Monster Hunter by hunting the australian wildlife like poisonous sheep.

[QUOTE=Antdawg;47676747]Tax avoidance isn't smart because that's only going to press the government harder for closing tax loopholes [editline]7th May 2015[/editline] Can people explain why they are rating this as disagree? It's literally how our GST works, with some items GST-exempt[/QUOTE] Because a lot of people here are too young to grasp how taxes work.

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;47676032]So like how is this implemented, does PayPal and Google Wallet have to add these fees on or is it done when anything is purchased with your debit card? It's silly but it's going to raise government profits, I just hate how everything is so fucking expensive for us and the government always asks in some silly manner "why are digital goods so high for us??"[/QUOTE] Man imagine if you were paying with Paypal. You get a game, it already costs $80 for them, which is $100 USD. Throw in the 10% and we're talking just shy of $90/$110. Now throw in Paypal's 15% and you get to pay a whopping $127 USD for a new game. The fuuuuuuck. A DIGITAL FUCKING COPY AT THAT, which they then get to download slowly on their over priced and capped internet

The Government does not need that kind of money. They honestly need to stop trying to make bad decisions.

The real question is; how easy is this going to be for Labour to repeal?

[QUOTE=RoboChimp;47683551]The real question is; how easy is this going to be for Labour to repeal?[/QUOTE] They won't because this is good.

[QUOTE=deadoon;47676087]You completely missed the problem, how does Australia force a foreign entity that is directly contacted by the end user for the purchase to pay their taxes. Hence, why I said it would have minimal impact if the seller never implements the system.[/QUOTE] The same way they force foreign game makers to abide by their rating system.... Short version- if they make the law for the tax to be collected on the sellers end and the seller refuses- that seller better be based in a third world country (or one with zero treaties with Australia)

[QUOTE=Antdawg;47676231]Because you get paid $20 per hour to pack shelves here but like only $8 per hour in the US. Considering that, games are actually cheaper here in terms of how many hours you need to work to save up for a game.[/QUOTE] A. 20$ is a bit exaggerated considering it's comparing AUD to USD B. Paying minimum wage workers more does not mean that everyone gets paid more.

GREAT NOW I HAVE TO PAY $277.99 FOR FULL PRICED GAMES NOW