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Australia: Your Digital Games (and Movies!) Could Be About to Jump In Price
dotarray writes with a snippet of news from Australia about expanded taxation for digital goods. From Player Attack comes the gist: Australians really are about to start paying more for digital services — including Steam games — as Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has confirmed plans to introduce a 'Netflix tax' in this week's Federal Budget. As mentioned last week, this is not a new tax, but an extension of Australia's current Goods and Services Tax to include digital services, adding 10% to virtual items and services purchased online. Details have not yet been revealed, but potential services include not only Steam games but also Netflix subscriptions and even Uber trips.
I would support this if the government:
1. Pursued these companies for company tax, not just make them pass on GST from our pockets.
2. More funding to the ACCC to make these companies actually stick to Australian Consumer Laws (i.e. Sony PSN & Steam)
3. Do something about the price disparity to overseas that can not be reasonably be explained by the tax, shipping, costs to do business in Australia, etc.
But knowing this government, it will just be another hairbrain implementation that hurts anyone who is not a middle/upper-class baby-boomer.
That's great news!
Because every Australian I have ever talked to has complained about not paying enough for digital music, digital games, and digital movies.
It's like the Australian government commissioned a bunch focus groups, attached electrodes to people's brains, read their minds, and did the exact opposite of what everybody wanted.
The shop down the road can't avoid sales tax.
The online shop based in Australia can't avoid sales tax.
The online shop based outside Australia can avoid sales tax.
This puts Australian businesses at a disadvantage, i.e., the tax regime fucks your own people.
So the choices are:
* level the playing field by abolishing sales taxes (the market fundamentalist/tax haven model)
* level the playing field by requiring individuals to declare and pay the sales tax (the US model)
* level the playing field by requiring foreign companies to collect and pay tax
Most governments go for the latter.
If he wants to bring in some fucking revenue, END NEGATIVE GEARING.
For foreigners who don't understand, you can buy a second, third, fourth, nineteenth goddamned house and can claim the interest repayments, renovations, real estate management fees, maintenance etc against your taxable income.
They claim this 'encourages low cost rentals' and housing to be built by the rich for the renters.
Statistics show the VAST majority of negative gearing boffins actually buy in well established areas because they are worth more money (of course) and will appreciate in value.
They get interest only loans and bank on the "fact" that housing should double in value every 7 years (incomes sure don't though)
What negative gearing actually does is artificially drive investors (ie: rich people) to offload cash into homes, turning the "aussie dream" of owning a home far more difficult for those who can't afford to compete with the rich, trying to reduce their tax.
Furthermore we are also welcome with wide wide open arms, foreign investment into property here, it's not good for the economy, it's good for a miniscule fraction of the population, it's driving the average price up also.
Long story short, me, you and any other Aussie tax payer reading this are literally paying for rich peoples homes, when you explain this to most foreigners they are baffled as fuck "wait, a tax break for people with SECOND homes and THIRD? what about a tax break for people getting their first" ...
It's fucking nuts, disgusting.