Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Retail NZ Asks Nash to Stand by GST Commitment


Retail NZ Asks Nash to Stand by GST Commitment

Retail NZ is asking Revenue Minister the Hon Stuart Nash to stand by his commitment to make sure that foreign websites are paying their share of GST, after reports that he "jumped the gun" in commenting on the issue.

"One of the biggest issues facing the New Zealand retail sector is that foreign websites have a minimum 15 per cent price advantage when selling to New Zealanders, purely because Kiwi firms have to pay GST, while foreign websites don't," Greg Harford, Retail NZ's General Manager for Public Affairs, said today. "The current position is simply unsustainable and is not realistic for the Government to continue with a regime that imposes costs on domestic businesses while rewarding offshore companies.

"This issue is becoming substantially more urgent with the move of Amazon into the Australian market, and the implementation of GST registration requirements for offshore companies by the Australian Government from 1 July 2018. This means that, from next year, Kiwi retail websites selling to a customer in Sydney will have to pay Australian GST, while Australian websites selling to New Zealand customers will not pay any tax to the New Zealand Government. It's not right that New Zealand businesses are disadvantaged by being domiciled here, and it's not right that the Government is missing out on $5.8 billion in GST revenue over the next 10 years.

"Retail NZ is asking Minister Nash to stand by his commitment to 'absolutely' fix this problem, even though we understand that there is some detail to work through, and that a timeline needs to be established. We would be deeply disappointed if the Minister were now to say that the Government is not committed to resolving the problem."

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.