Australia to place 10% tax on all imported goods – including games

Australia is set to get a 10 percent price hike on all goods purchased from vendors abroad. Much like the proposed "Netflix tax" we reported on back in May – which would see all Steam purchases in Australia increased by 10 percent – State and Commonwealth treasurers have agreed to install a similar tax on all physical imports from abroad. That means, if you want to purchase a game from say, Zavvi, then expect to pay more.

According to a statement by Hockey (via Gizmodo), the GST will commence July 1, 2017 and "be applied to all products and services sold by vendors into Australia.

"This will deliver competitive neutrality for Australian businesses, and ensure fair and equal treatment of goods and services. If goods and services would have the GST applied in Australia, then the same should apply for goods [bought and imported] from overseas."

It's not good news for thrifty Australians: the dollar isn't particularly strong at the moment, and games are notoriously expensive in Australia.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.