GST to be charged on purchases below $400

Forums › Off topic › GST to be charged on purchases below $400

1 | ... | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ... | 26

18125 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2007951 4-May-2018 16:06

It is a spiral, if more and more folks who find they can't afford to buy local or have to wait an few more paydays to buy local do their purchasing off shore there will be more and more folks unable to afford to buy local.

Mighty Ape

Shop Mighty Ape for electronics, games, computers books and more (affiliate link).

networkn

Networkn
30209 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2007959 4-May-2018 16:24

Don't worry, soon China will buy or Invade NZ and it will all be moot. We won't have anyone to defend us either.

MikeB4

18125 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2007962 4-May-2018 16:27

networkn:

Don't worry, soon China will buy or Invade NZ and it will all be moot. We won't have anyone to defend us either.

what on earth would they want us for? One small prefecture in China would have more resources and GDP potential than us.

marej

186 posts

Master Geek

#2007967 4-May-2018 16:37

MikeB4:

It is a spiral, if more and more folks who find they can't afford to buy local or have to wait an few more paydays to buy local do their purchasing off shore there will be more and more folks unable to afford to buy local.

If everyone bought local - manufacturers and retailers would gauge the market. It wont be all smiles and roses. What would motivate them to do the best by the consumer if there is less competition.

Its not just paydays, its that and unexpected expenses, school trips, doctors visits, loss of income

I buy clothes and work shoes overseas - they are far cheaper and the selction in my size is easy to come by

Sports shoes are more competitive - why can they do it vs dress shoe places

I buy food based on price and nutrition - I nearly always buy local but because I trust the NZ food supply over and above overseas, BUT local and in season is affordable, and price isnt an issue. If my income was more limited, then I would be happy to relook at this.

The truth is GST has little to do with why people buy overseas.

Geektastic

17690 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2007969 4-May-2018 17:00

MichaelNZ:
Rikkitic:

There is a difference between a beneficiary and a pensioner, and like I said, my pension doesn't come from New Zealand. Because of that I am a net contributor to this economy and your tone is beginning to verge on offensive.

The only difference between "pension" and "benefit" is the terminology the "super-blue" brigade uses to try and justify beating up on the unemployed and solo mothers, while they themselves are on the take.

By your own admission, you claim to be poor and rely on importing cheap stuff from 3rd world countries, where people live in real poverty. That doesn't sound like a contribution to me.

Rikkitic:

I'm sorry if life is hard for you as a small trader but that is just the way things are. You said I should not choose to live rural if I don't like the added costs that brings. By the same token, maybe you should look for another line of work if you don't like the difficulties of your current one.

You are the one who is complaining about not having enough money to buy nice stuff. If your benefit was cut you would be out on the street. Think about that for a moment before posting.

That isn't necessarily the only difference if you're discussing overseas pensions rather than NZ ones, as in @rikkitic s case.

Overseas pensions are usually specifically contributory in that workers pay specific amounts to pension schemes, and the pension amount is often determined by the amount of the contributions as well as the length for which they were paid.

NZ Super seems to be essentially just government funded UBI for pensioners rather than a specifically paid for scheme in the traditional sense.

MichaelNZ

1227 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Integrity Tech Solutions

#2007991 4-May-2018 17:51

Geektastic: Overseas pensions are usually specifically contributory in that workers pay specific amounts to pension schemes, and the pension amount is often determined by the amount of the contributions as well as the length for which they were paid.

NZ Super seems to be essentially just government funded UBI for pensioners rather than a specifically paid for scheme in the traditional sense.

The Netherlands (where @Rikkitic is from) has a taxpayer funded system, like here.

Pensions in the Netherlands consist of a three pillar system. The three pillars are:

the state pension system as per the Algemene Ouderdomswet (AOW) law,

[.....]

Pillar one: State pensions

The state pension system (AOW) is administered as a pay-as-you-go system, with government funds and payroll taxes providing the funding for it. Everyone who lived and/or worked in the Netherlands between the ages of 15 and 65 is entitled to an AOW pension. Everyone living in the Netherlands, with some exceptions, is insured, and with every year people are insured, they build up rights to 2% of the full AOW pension. The full AOW pension is tied to the minimum wage, with married or cohabiting couples each receiving 50% of the minimum wage, while those who live alone are entitled to a pension worth more than 70% of the minimum wage. The moment when a person receives AOW has changed sins 2016. In this year the Dutch government announced that they will connect the data of receiving AOW to the national life expectancy. When a person reaches the age of 67 in or before 2021. That the age AOW payments will start. From 2020 the AOW age will be directly connected to the life expectancy. This means that the government is able to change the age of when a citizen receives AOW per year. [1][2][3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pensions_in_the_Netherlands

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008002 4-May-2018 18:07

Rikkitic:

Apart from that, trade isn't a one-way street. It benefits everyone, producers as well as consumers.

Very valid. In NZ we are consumers so we should all pay a consumer tax, which at the moment is GST. Level playing field, thats what this thread is about.

I can buy a $9 earpiece from Jaycar I pay GST. I can buy the same Chinese part from China, no GST. thats unfair competition. Scrap GST or everyone n NZ pays GST, either will do. Level playing field.

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008004 4-May-2018 18:12

MikeB4:

I buy very little off shore. If what I am looking for is available in New Zealand I will buy in local stores. If I am buying online I look to NZ based companies like Mighty Ape and Ascent for example.

But you do buy from offshore. Most of our products are imported. If you buy here, you pay GST, and those that buy online from overseas dont. So NZ misses out.

Its very conceivable that many buy will buy mainly offshore online as years go by. That'll hurt GST revenue. It needs to be dealt with. Imagine if those of us that work for international companies were paid directly from offshore. We pay PAYE offshore. The only link to NZ is that we live here. Its quite similar

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008009 4-May-2018 18:20

networkn:

We are really off track here though, I'll admit.

GST to be charged on purchases below $400 and free range eggs, off course its on topic!!

:-)

Just inserting a light hearted post before this thread is locked!

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008012 4-May-2018 18:25

MikeB4:

It is a spiral, if more and more folks who find they can't afford to buy local or have to wait an few more paydays to buy local do their purchasing off shore there will be more and more folks unable to afford to buy local.

Thats essentially it. As usual @MikeB4 nails it. Like the beloved Sky threads, retail here in Gods own is in transition. Video and bookstores took the hit early. We will never be without shops, malls are more a social outlet than a shopping outlet. But its a change. In time, less nagging about CGA and more about zyz.com/shoppngcart

Change is the new Norm

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008013 4-May-2018 18:26

MikeB4:

networkn:

Don't worry, soon China will buy or Invade NZ and it will all be moot. We won't have anyone to defend us either.

what on earth would they want us for? One small prefecture in China would have more resources and GDP potential than us.

Prefecture is Japan, Chins does provinces, so we are half sorted already! :-)

tdgeek

28596 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2008014 4-May-2018 18:30

marej:

I buy food based on price and nutrition - I nearly always buy local

Had to throw this in. I'm hungry, and ironically wife just texted she will be late (true). I'll buy tea from AliExpress/food I also don't buy local... :-)

I'll be fine on Wednesday....

Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#2008016 4-May-2018 18:33

On ebooks I pay gst on Amazon Kindle books. Going through Paper Plus or Whitcoulls I am not charged gst or hadnt been last year, but they use Kobo mainly, But they are also double the price than from Amazon. As Amazon charge gst on Kindle ebooks which are anywhere $1 to $15 then it wont take much for Amazon to charge gst on other items as the provision is already there

Kyanar

3874 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#2008118 4-May-2018 20:32

spronkey:

Do you have links to official info on the international treaties? I've tried to find good sources on this before to get my head around exactly what goes on, but haven't been able to get very far.

The treaties themselves no longer exist. You'd need to look at the Acts of the Universal Postal Union - the interesting information you're probably looking for is the Terminal Dues and Transit Charges, which dictate how much the postal operators may charge each other.

richms

26394 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#2008125 4-May-2018 20:38

Also there are companies that bulk send to NZ, and then put into the local postal system here themselves as international goods.

about half of my low cost aliexpress purchases from china are readdressed by a UCL Co LTD with a PO box out near the airport as the return address.

If you were to casually ship something in Shenzhen then you would pay about the same as we pay to send things overseas from here. Its only the shipping consolidators that get the great prices that approach free, and they will not take stuff from anyone. My plans of shopping over there and posting things back were ruined because, 1, things are actually more expensive in the markets unless you buy a hell of a lot, and 2, the crazy high shipping that was even the good rates on offer from "suzy shipper" that Ian introduced us too. Was actually cheaper to buy on aliexpress and have sent back to NZ by mail.

Richard rich.ms

1 | ... | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ... | 26