Bung: To the sound of raspberry trumpets

"This Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) has been prepared by the New Zealand Customs
Service (Customs).
It provides an analysis of the impact of the increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) to 15%
from 1 October 2010 on the revenue waiver provision (de minimis). This RIS recommends the
de minimis be increased from $50 to $60 to maintain the current landed value threshold of $399
for import consignments under which the de minimis applies."

Conrad Petersen
Acting Group Manager Policy
New Zealand Customs Service

This seems to go against the notion that the cost of collection is not justifiable under a certain amount.  In reality the cost of collection would have risen too, but that's not what the "official" statement above suggests...

richms:

 

I have no problem with paying the GST or the duty on things, its the BS other charges they whack on it to collect it as well, and the delays with them sending a snail mail letter to the delivery address. Which is useless if its going to my house where mail gets nicked all the time.

 

Customs Handling Fee....errr..don't we all pay tax so that Customs can do their jobs?

Geektastic:

 

richms:

 

I have no problem with paying the GST or the duty on things, its the BS other charges they whack on it to collect it as well, and the delays with them sending a snail mail letter to the delivery address. Which is useless if its going to my house where mail gets nicked all the time.

 

 

 

 

Customs Handling Fee....errr..don't we all pay tax so that Customs can do their jobs?

 

The current trend is to make all services such as these self-funded aka user-pays.

So why is there a biosecurity fee on computer parts? The fee for someone looking at a box and billing me the GST isnt huge, but they make it that way because they insist on sending a letter and having you call them to pay and other crap.

wsnz:

 

Geektastic:

 

richms:

 

I have no problem with paying the GST or the duty on things, its the BS other charges they whack on it to collect it as well, and the delays with them sending a snail mail letter to the delivery address. Which is useless if its going to my house where mail gets nicked all the time.

 

 

 

 

Customs Handling Fee....errr..don't we all pay tax so that Customs can do their jobs?

 

 

The current trend is to make all services such as these self-funded aka user-pays.

 

So if you get stopped at the airport and your bags searched, you should surely get a bill even if you were not found to be carrying anything? After all, you generously used the service...

I've no objection to the user pays principle but that means tax monies funding it (and thus taxes hopefully) must come down in a quid pro quo.

Fund it from those idiots that bring stuff in and get caught with loads of prohibited food and stuff.

Geektastic:

 

sbiddle:

 

Geektastic:

 

mattwnz:

 

What's the item? Maybe it has a big percentage of duty on it?

 

 

 

 

Ah yes. Duty.

 

 

 

Anyone care to offer an explanation as to why every item of clothing and pair of shoes imported to NZ (i.e. almost all of them) has a somewhat random 10% Customs Duty in addition to GST?

 

 

Because clothing and shoes are both manufactured in NZ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not really. If you need a pair of decent running shoes, for example, AFAIK there are no factories in NZ producing Nike, Brooks, Adidas etc etc. 

 

A very small percentage of shoes and clothes may be made here (and note that made here does not mean having them made in China and whacking a NZ brand on them...!) but it's hardly enough of an industry to justify raising the price of the 95% or so that are not made here.

 

I thought we were supposed to have free trade agreements that were supposed to remove tariffs, which it essentially is. I believe some countries we trade with have big tarrifs on dairy, which is why it is not possible to export to those countries due to the tax they then incur. So if we are doing the same thing, we aren't really much better. I wonder if this TPP thing will do anything about that.

mattwnz:

 

Geektastic:

 

sbiddle:

 

Geektastic:

 

mattwnz:

 

What's the item? Maybe it has a big percentage of duty on it?

 

 

 

 

Ah yes. Duty.

 

 

 

Anyone care to offer an explanation as to why every item of clothing and pair of shoes imported to NZ (i.e. almost all of them) has a somewhat random 10% Customs Duty in addition to GST?

 

 

Because clothing and shoes are both manufactured in NZ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes - we can but hope!

 

 

 

Not really. If you need a pair of decent running shoes, for example, AFAIK there are no factories in NZ producing Nike, Brooks, Adidas etc etc. 

 

A very small percentage of shoes and clothes may be made here (and note that made here does not mean having them made in China and whacking a NZ brand on them...!) but it's hardly enough of an industry to justify raising the price of the 95% or so that are not made here.

 

 

 

 

I thought we were supposed to have free trade agreements that were supposed to remove tariffs, which it essentially is. I believe some countries we trade with have big tarrifs on dairy, which is why it is not possible to export to those countries due to the tax they then incur. So if we are doing the same thing, we aren't really much better. I wonder if this TPP thing will do anything about that.

 

I accept that taxes serve a purpose by paying for essential services. What annoys me (and makes me feel unfairly treated), is when you get penalised for being penalised. I once received a package from the US that was just over $400. So I had to pay GST on it. Fair enough, but then I had to pay fees on top of fees because I was just over the cut-off point. Those amounted to a total of about $100 extra as I recall. If my package had been worth around $4 less, I wouldn't have had to pay any of that. I got charged for the fact I was being charged. No wonder people try to cheat the system.

Rikkitic:

 

I accept that taxes serve a purpose by paying for essential services. What annoys me (and makes me feel unfairly treated), is when you get penalised for being penalised. I once received a package from the US that was just over $400. So I had to pay GST on it. Fair enough, but then I had to pay fees on top of fees because I was just over the cut-off point. Those amounted to a total of about $100 extra as I recall. If my package had been worth around $4 less, I wouldn't have had to pay any of that. I got charged for the fact I was being charged. No wonder people try to cheat the system.

 

 

 

I agree it isn't really fair, because if they had just discounted it by a bit, or got it shipped cheaper, you wouldn't have had to pay . But then again there are lots of fees and taxes , and regulation that is similar.  
I am far more for a flat 15% on all imported stuff, and it being linked to a prepay or credit cards on Realme, or something like that. It would just make it far easier.

I wonder if there is a business opportunity in it for someone to come up with a system.

wsnz: <snip> The current trend is to make all services such as these self-funded aka user-pays.

I hope that Inland Revenue aren't supposed to be self-funding - this could lead to a serious conflict of interests.

Geektastic:

 

So if you get stopped at the airport and your bags searched, you should surely get a bill even if you were not found to be carrying anything? After all, you generously used the service...

 

I've no objection to the user pays principle but that means tax monies funding it (and thus taxes hopefully) must come down in a quid pro quo.

 

Uh, that actually does happen. Have you looked at the breakdown of "Taxes and Surcharges" on an airline ticket recently? It's actually quite expensive even.

Kyanar:

 

Geektastic:

 

So if you get stopped at the airport and your bags searched, you should surely get a bill even if you were not found to be carrying anything? After all, you generously used the service...

 

I've no objection to the user pays principle but that means tax monies funding it (and thus taxes hopefully) must come down in a quid pro quo.

 

 

Uh, that actually does happen. Have you looked at the breakdown of "Taxes and Surcharges" on an airline ticket recently? It's actually quite expensive even.

 

Sure but I have not yet seen a line item "Body Cavity Search Surcharge - NZ Customs"