Australians may face 10% tax fee for steam sales.

[Jay Scriven]

as if $90 wasnt enough for GTA 5

[mr moose]

as if $90 wasnt enough for GTA 5

 

And that's without tax,   Whilst no one likes taxes, the real problem here is we are simply being charged too much to begin with.

[Derranged]

I just bought Witcher 3, it totalled out at $105 AUD (It's listed as 80USD). So with tax that would be $115.50 sounds great to me!... I would accept this tax if EVERY dollar from digital purchases went into our internet infrastructure. That's the only reason I could see it being viable, you use a service and pay a tax for it, so the tax revenue goes back into improving the service. However the only thing that pops into mind are Government officials lining their pockets with more money.

[mr moose]

I just bought Witcher 3, it totalled out at $105 AUD (It's listed as 80USD). So with tax that would be $115.50 sounds great to me!... I would accept this tax if EVERY dollar from digital purchases went into our internet infrastructure. That's the only reason I could see it being viable, you use a service and pay a tax for it, so the tax revenue goes back into improving the service. However the only thing that pops into mind are Government officials lining their pockets with more money.

 

I see it slightly differently, I don't see it as the governments job to provide internet,  that's what we pay ISP's for.  If the government is to provide internet infrastructure then, just like roads, we should not have to pay again to use it.  Also the taxes would have to go through the roof in order to be enough to pay for infrastructure on top of all the other services the government already provides that enables the internet and any commerce on it.

[Derranged]

I see it slightly differently, I don't see it as the governments job to provide internet, that's what we pay ISP's for. If the government is to provide internet infrastructure then, just like roads, we should not have to pay again to use it. Also the taxes would have to go through the roof in order to be enough to pay for infrastructure on top of all the other services the government already provides that enables the internet and any commerce on it.

Well the NBN was a Government initiative to get the ball rolling on future infrastructure as even they know our ISPs are just avoiding the inevitable. I would just like to see our country actually get decent internet in most places, and using the tax revenue from online purchases to keep the NBN going would be great. Plus once the Government roll it out, it will basically fund itself from there on.

[mr moose]

Well the NBN was a Government initiative to get the ball rolling on future infrastructure as even they know our ISPs are just avoiding the inevitable. I would just like to see our country actually get decent internet in most places, and using the tax revenue from online purchases to keep the NBN going would be great. Plus once the Government roll it out, it will basically fund itself from there on.

I agree.

 

 

Unfortunately regardless of what either party tells us, it won't fund itself until at least 2040.  There just isn't enough people in Australia to provide the clientele $$ to pay for it, That's why none of the ISPs where in a hurry to role out fibre.  The only way internet in Australia will improve without government backing is if we all start paying a lot more than what we currently are.

 

http://www.afr.com/business/telecommunications/nbn-co-wont-recover-costs-by-2040-defends-pricing-20130219-j149m#

[Jay Scriven]

I see it slightly differently, I don't see it as the governments job to provide internet, that's what we pay ISP's for. If the government is to provide internet infrastructure then, just like roads, we should not have to pay again to use it. Also the taxes would have to go through the roof in order to be enough to pay for infrastructure on top of all the other services the government already provides that enables the internet and any commerce on it.

Agreed but the thing is, the ISP's are happy to take all our money and just throw it in the air to show how much money they have but they're not doing a single thing to upgrade the infrastructure. What they're not doing the government is providing instead. Still sucks though

[Dabombinable]

I agree.

 

 

Unfortunately regardless of what either party tells us, it won't fund itself until at least 2040.  There just isn't enough people in Australia to provide the clientele $$ to pay for it, That's why none of the ISPs where in a hurry to role out fibre.  The only way internet in Australia will improve without government backing is if we all start paying a lot more than what we currently are.

 

http://www.afr.com/business/telecommunications/nbn-co-wont-recover-costs-by-2040-defends-pricing-20130219-j149m#

Don't forget that a certain ISP was paid to upgrade the network and didn't....

[Harry76]

ok thats it im gonna go kill tony.

[Harry76]

So basically the government wants to ensure all products that are supposed to have the GST are actually being charged the GST?  

 

Tell me people, why should you have to pay GST for GTA V if you buy it from EB games, but not pay it if you buy it on steam?  IF you buy it from EB games you are providing at least one Australian with a job, you buy it on steam and your lining Gaben's pockets. 

 

This is not some major money grab, it is simply balancing the GST so it is actually applied to all sales avenues, not just the ones that employ the most Aussies.

 

Also for anyone not educated enough about the state of the world, Australia is one of the best countries to be in, Free health care,  the worlds best consumer protection laws and agencies, very low crime rates,  I have yet to meet an unemployed person who didn't want to be (there is work for those looking). And our education system is actually close to one of the best (not necessarily in outcomes but certainly in accessibility and rigid curriculum).

 

Mean Aussie income before tax $57,980

mean US income before tax $52,250

Allowing for conversion rates there's not much of a difference.

THE REASON PEOPLE BUY FROM STEAM IS BECAUSE ITS CHEAPER

oh and also $52000US is 63000 AU so

[Derranged]

I agree.

Unfortunately regardless of what either party tells us, it won't fund itself until at least 2040. There just isn't enough people in Australia to provide the clientele $$ to pay for it, That's why none of the ISPs where in a hurry to role out fibre. The only way internet in Australia will improve without government backing is if we all start paying a lot more than what we currently are.

http://www.afr.com/business/telecommunications/nbn-co-wont-recover-costs-by-2040-defends-pricing-20130219-j149m#

Telstra alone profited from over 4 Billion last year, that's after every other expense had been paid. Their total revenue was 26 odd billion. If the NBN fully rolled out, we could sell all of the copper and the Government would profit from ALL ISPs using the NBN.

The other thing is, with the NBN backbone Australia would be open to hosting mega datacentres among other things. It would also make it easier for long distance education and faster business interaction.

And here's the thing. It costs my workplace $10,000 a YEAR for 10MBps, and we don't even get that because it's still DSL (Basically 4 DSL links to one unit).

With the NBN it's possible to get an Unlimited 100Mbit connection for under $100 a month (Not for business but still).

[DIV1D3]

Well it seems I'll be off to ye ol Canadia earlier than I thought. 

[Guest]

I fail to see an issue - it's just matching the GST price on physical goods to those bought online. This would apply to pretty much any online purchase. We already pay for physical goods purchased online so it's only sensible to pay for music, movies and others that we buy online.

[mr moose]

Telstra alone profited from over 4 Billion last year, that's after every other expense had been paid. Their total revenue was 26 odd billion. If the NBN fully rolled out, we could sell all of the copper and the Government would profit from ALL ISPs using the NBN.

The other thing is, with the NBN backbone Australia would be open to hosting mega datacentres among other things. It would also make it easier for long distance education and faster business interaction.

And here's the thing. It costs my workplace $10,000 a YEAR for 10MBps, and we don't even get that because it's still DSL (Basically 4 DSL links to one unit).

With the NBN it's possible to get an Unlimited 100Mbit connection for under $100 a month (Not for business but still).

 

Telstra essentially  doesn't own the copper anymore.  It was sold to the NBN for $11B last year.  $4 Billion in profit (mostly from the mobile sector not internet) is a drop in the ocean, certainly not enough to warrant the $60Billion people want it to spend on fibre.   Also Telstra are struggling to continue growing their revenue.  Which is a big block to upgrading infrastructure for a division of business that is not only plateaued but under revenue threat from the NBN.  

 

At the end of the day it's basic business 101,  if investments won't increase revenue then they are bad investments.  

[mr moose]

THE REASON PEOPLE BUY FROM STEAM IS BECAUSE ITS CHEAPER

oh and also $52000US is 63000 AU so

 

That doesn't change the fact that if you buy it from steam without GST then zero money is staying in Australia,  Whilst if you go to EB games, sure you pay more, but you are employing at least two Australians and at least some of your money is staying in Australia. 

 

Your choice:

 

Buy from steam and help Gaben buy a new car, or, keep an Aussie teenager employed and help reduce the need for tax hikes to offset declining tax revenue.

 

EDIT: also, it might be cheaper, but as I have said umpteen times before, that tax money pays for consumer services that work in the background to ensure your rights as a consumer are upheld.  If you avoid paying taxes on goods then you avoid paying for those services.

[linuxfan66]

That doesn't change the fact that if you buy it from steam without GST then zero money is staying in Australia,  Whilst if you go to EB games, sure you pay more, but you are employing at least two Australians and at least some of your money is staying in Australia. 

 

Your choice:

 

Buy from steam and help Gaben buy a new car, or, keep an Aussie teenager employed and help reduce the need for tax hikes to offset declining tax revenue.

 

EDIT: also, it might be cheaper, but as I have said umpteen times before, that tax money pays for consumer services that work in the background to ensure your rights as a consumer are upheld.  If you avoid paying taxes on goods then you avoid paying for those services.

I may be not be antitax, but i believe very little in nationalism. I 100 percent agree that tax pays to keep people worse off from bigger problems and maintain consumer rights especially if its a general tax on goods and services across the board. However keeping money within in australia with the way business works now with multinational corporations..i dont believe that for 5 seconds. Profits are mostly funneled off overseas eventually anyway.

[mr moose]

I may be not be antitax, but i believe very little in nationalism. I 100 percent agree that tax pays to keep people worse off from bigger problems and maintain consumer rights especially if its a general tax on goods and services across the board. However keeping money within in australia with the way business works now with multinational corporations..i dont believe that for 5 seconds. Profits are mostly funneled off overseas eventually anyway.

 

If you have a business in Australia you have to pay tax in Australia.   If your going to pay more for a product you may as well walk into an EB games where you dollars will at least provide someone with a job.  That is money staying in Australia.  As I said "some money" will stay in Australia and it's better than no money staying in Australia.

[orcinhell]

I am fine paying tax on my games, tax is tax and Australia like most countries at the moment is in one hell of a pickle. What I do object to is how the government does nothing about large corporations taking Australian owned tax out of the country... big massive companies like apple pay nothing even remotely close to what they should for trading in our land. Billions of dollars in tax leaving our shores and the governments answer to raising more money? Tax the consumer even more.

 

That aside they do nothing for the money. They want to tax us and bring in regulations so they can make money but fuck bringing in regulations to protect the consumer from getting bent over from over priced items. Who cares if they pay 30% to 50% more for items then they should, instead of helping them lets tax those fuckers.

 

I love my country and would die for it but that doesn't mean I should let it fuck me in the ass.

[mr moose]

I am fine paying tax on my games, tax is tax and Australia like most countries at the moment is in one hell of a pickle. What I do object to is how the government does nothing about large corporations taking Australian owned tax out of the country... big massive companies like apple pay nothing even remotely close to what they should for trading in our land. Billions of dollars in tax leaving our shores and the governments answer to raising more money? Tax the consumer even more.

 

That aside they do nothing for the money. They want to tax us and bring in regulations so they can make money but fuck bringing in regulations to protect the consumer from getting bent over from over priced items. Who cares if they pay 30% to 50% more for items then they should, instead of helping them lets tax those fuckers.

 

I love my country and would die for it but that doesn't mean I should let it fuck me in the ass.

 

You may be pleased to know the government is cracking down on those big company tax dodges.   A senate inquiry into tax avoidance by multinationals has begun and the hearings and submissions have already finished.

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Corporate_Tax_Avoidance/Terms_of_Reference

 

I know a lot of what the government does gets missed by the general public. Today's media only wants to report what gets it viewers,  ergo you only get half the information about the most oppressive policies of government.  But they do a lot more behinds the scenes (like crack down on foreign ownership of pastoral land).  I urge everyone on these forums to sign up to both the Labor party and the Liberal party emailing lists and get the information first hand.  You'll only get 2 or 3 emails a week. 

[orcinhell]

You may be pleased to know the government is cracking down on those big company tax dodges.   A senate inquiry into tax avoidance by multinationals has begun and the hearings and submissions have already finished.

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Corporate_Tax_Avoidance/Terms_of_Reference

 

I know a lot of what the government does gets missed by the general public. Today's media only wants to report what gets it viewers,  ergo you only get half the information about the most oppressive policies of government.  But they do a lot more behinds the scenes (like crack down on foreign ownership of pastoral land).  I urge everyone on these forums to sign up to both the Labor party and the Liberal party emailing lists and get the information first hand.  You'll only get 2 or 3 emails a week. 

 

O well it seems I have egg on my face. Thank god for the inquiry, and the brilliant track record they have for not being a total waste of time. Hear that everyone lay down your pitch forks the government is taking something seriously and doing a inquiry... no its not a joke, they are going to take this one seriously this time and actually act on the information anyone with half a brain already knew. Well at least the 10% tax I will have to pay on games now can help foot the bill.

 

Edit: By the way I do follow what happens. From more then one source, and already knew of there inquiry. I applaud your optimism but don't hold your breath.

 

Edit Edit: The attitude in the post is not aimed at you but rather the disdain I have for our government/s.

[bigboy678]

Wow Australians, yall need to handle your sh*t. Get those cranky old geezers out of there.

 

Funny they could easily say that about us in the US too 

[Trik'Stari]

Funny they could easily say that about us in the US too 

Everyone says that about the US, even those of us in the US lol

[mr moose]

O well it seems I have egg on my face. Thank god for the inquiry, and the brilliant track record they have for not being a total waste of time. Hear that everyone lay down your pitch forks the government is taking something seriously and doing a inquiry... no its not a joke, they are going to take this one seriously this time and actually act on the information anyone with half a brain already knew. Well at least the 10% tax I will have to pay on games now can help foot the bill.

 

Edit: By the way I do follow what happens. From more then one source, and already knew of there inquiry. I applaud your optimism but don't hold your breath.

 

Edit Edit: The attitude in the post is not aimed at you but rather the disdain I have for our government/s.

 

I bounce between optimism and pessimism.  I have been following politics now for over 20 years.  In my observation the things we all tend to overlook are the actual good things they do and the fact that we are not run by the companies or the unions.  A precarious balance I'll grant. But looking back over all the issues that have faced Australia I don't think we should be to hard on them, after all we still live in a free country where anyone can make it if they want, you can choose your job and have healthcare and welfare if you fail.  We do not live in a dictatorship like half of the middle east, Congo or South Africa, we are not under religious rule and we are far from many of the issues that plague larger countries like UK and USA.