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.
Currently, the 10 percent tax only applies to imports that exceed AU$1,000. Under the new arrangement, announced by federal treasurer Joe Hockey today, that threshold will be abolished, meaning every imported item will be taxed.
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.
