Thread: Exporting rifle scope from Aussie

Re the tax.

Most people do not know about it - it is called the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) - see Tourist Refund Scheme.

Read the requirements very, very carefully - in particular, original tax invoice, and for purchases over $AUS 1,000, the tax invoice must also show your name and address (get the retailer to make you up a special invoice).

Carry the goods in your hand luggage.

Once you have cleared customs on the way out of Australia look for the TRS counter. It will be manned by someone who will look at your goods (often in detail - you will need to open boxes etc and show it matches the item on the invoice).

All going to plan... ~10% - or a tiny bit less - of the purchase price (the Australian GST rate) will be coming your way...

As anyone who has travelled to Australia quite a bit will know, customs in Australia take their job very seriously (as they should given recent wider events). Don't even think about putting anything slightly dodgy in your carry-on luggage and make sure all TRS requirements are met before you go to the airport.

Again, as per my earlier post, rightly or wrongly firearms/hunting related items are often not properly understood and or intimidate people who are not familiar with them. Be polite and considerate... and be ready to offer a genuine/honest explanation of the 'item' in your hand luggage when it goes through the airport scanner...

Makes often already cheaper items even cheaper...

FYI, there is also a similar scheme for European Union countries - it is a bit more complicated but the tax rate is slightly higher. I departed Rome earlier in the week and left with 'lots of beer money' following a month of shopping around Europe...