Thread: The New - Amazon Tax - comments and future facts for us

Originally Posted by Sidney

I'm pretty sure that if you think collecting tax on amazon books and chinese clothing will somehow make a difference to funding "social responsibility" then you haven't done the maths.
Particularly after the costs of collection are deducted from that, and the additional costs imposed by overseas companies ensure additional extra funds are flowing out of the country.

This is what it is, pandering to anti competitive retailers at the expense of the ordinary consumer who doesn't want to be bound to internal monopolies.

And where to we find “anti competitive behaviour? Or internal monopolies? There’s not much in NZ that fits those two things these days?
There maybe favouring discounts to major players, as in the buildiding materials sector, fuel supplies, but most of that is tax. I find there’s very little in what I consume I can’t screw a good price somewhere?

If hunting and fishing is the only significant provider of outdoor kit in Northland, then he's one, just to start with. And you did mention building supplies, fuel etc..

Last time I checked trying to shut down consumer access to alternative more cost effective supply of goods, is entirely anti competitive. What have retailers being whinging about and trying to do consistently for years again?

Whinging Dick extorted on the price of Nightforce scopes for years by shutting down alternative supply. So much so that the manufacturers eventually took it off him. That was an effective monopoly.

Originally Posted by Sidney

I'm pretty sure that if you think collecting tax on amazon books and chinese clothing will somehow make a difference to funding "social responsibility" then you haven't done the maths.
Particularly after the costs of collection are deducted from that, and the additional costs imposed by overseas companies ensure additional extra funds are flowing out of the country.

This is what it is, pandering to anti competitive retailers at the expense of the ordinary consumer who doesn't want to be bound to internal monopolies.

There is a very good reason for the $400 limit that is currently imposed. But they do not discuss that a great deal. The main reason the limit of $400 was set is not because it is an arbitrary figure. The actual figure is when the fees are $60 or more which is the GST payable on $400. Why $60? Because less than that it s not worth the expense or effort to try and chase that down. By asking companies to take this cost on and add it to the sale they effectively get this done for free (IE they dont have to pay for it, someone else does...)

AT the end of the day, I predicted that this would be the reaction from international companies. I even used Boyds stocks as an example. It only differs because it is their govt imposing the fees for export that they could not be bothered with. Thus, the boyds $100US cap.

I would doubt very much that NZ has enough customers to justify Aliexpress, Amazon, Boyds,( or many many other companies) putting the effort into giving our govt money. And if they do, you can bet that it wont be a 15% add on for plus GST. There will be a margin in there for their efforts and costs for processing so think 30% or more would be my guess. They will likely work something out for larger importer volumes that would make a transaction worth while. But they wont bother for small volumes like most of us will want to order...which will be why Alibaba is looking into it.

Originally Posted by Maca49

And where to we find “anti competitive behaviour? Or internal monopolies? There’s not much in NZ that fits those two things these days?
There maybe favouring discounts to major players, as in the buildiding materials sector, fuel supplies, but most of that is tax. I find there’s very little in what I consume I can’t screw a good price somewhere?

Internal monopolies? Look no further than Gib board

Originally Posted by Steve123

Internal monopolies? Look no further than Gib board

And rebar?

[QUOTE=Rushy;712397]And rebar?[/QUOTE

Aggregates may as well be another duopoly now Stevies has sold to Fulton Hogan.