ITT a billionaire lolbertarian cries poor...

[weemadando]

...and demands that the government extend taxes.

Aussie retailers are having a good cry about how online retailers have an unfair advantage as they don't have GST applied to purchases.

Nevermind that said retailers have a history of killing local competition and their business model also contributed to the death of many local industries. No, because its their profits at threat now they demand immediate action and pretend that its in he national interest by framing it in the tax debate.

This is all being spearheaded by Gerry Harvey, a man who is generously described as libertarian. To the point where he doesn't even believe in any charity. Not even for show. He even bad mouthed charity recipients in the past - despite his companies business model relying heavily on government welfare recipients.

Anyhow there's a hilarious backlash happening at the moment, will be interested in tomorrow's papers.

[bobalot]

Gerry Harvey has always been a self-absorbed nob.

It's hilarious because even if the 10% GST was added to online purchases, it probably would still be cheaper to buy online. When I buy books from Book Depository (an U.K site), it's nearly always a 25%-60% discount over the Australian retail price, delivered to my house.

Australian retailers have always been charging ridiculous margins because people had nowhere else to go (Australia's isolation and small market). Now they can't. Boo fucking hoo.

[mr friendly guy]

the response has been far from promising... for Harvey anyway

Back off our web deals - readers

* By staff writers
* From: news.com.au
* January 04, 2011


SORRY, Gerry, shoppers won't give up their online bargains.

News.com.au reader reaction to a campaign by retailers urging taxes on online bargains suggests Australians are unhappy with the prices charged by national retailers.

They also want choice - something they believe they don't get in Australian stores.

Nathan from Gawler was not atypical in his assessment of the retailers. He wrote: "The public is fed up of being taken for a ride. Your profit margins: too fat, your business plans: inefficient, and yet you think I'm going to buy your goods at your inflated prices. Why wouldn't we shop online? In the space of 10 minutes, I can compare the prices on any given item."

Price was not the only reason readers gave for their decisions to shop online. Many offered several other justifications, like Susan from Ormeau, who wrote: “The cost of implementing a GST on internet purchases (even if it were possible to do so) would far outweigh the money collected by the government, and would not protect retail sector jobs, it would just employ more public servants to collect it.

"I will continue to shop online and buy from overseas because it is cheaper, and the service is better. I can get items delivered to my door, don't have to fight crowds and deal with salespeople who are often rude and don't know anything about what they are selling.”

For Steve Berry of Newcastle it was about convenience and the dwindling mobility in an ageing population – and more. “If the large Australian retail stores had comprehensive online sites, they would probably get more online business,” Mr Berry wrote.

“The new NBN is supposed to make it easier and faster to get online. With an aging population who would rather shop online they really need some place to go. Come on Gerry Harvey and the rest of you, please try to keep up with technology and stop whinging that no one buys your products.”

Another reader said if retailers wanted to increase sales, they should drop prices and treat people with respect.

The McQualter family in Broome told The Australian that internet shopping had been a godsend. Because distance and wealthy tourists push the prices up in their local shops, they often look online for a better deal.

Chris McQualter saved $600 on a $2000 cappuccino machine at Christmas by buying it on the net and having it delivered to her father's farm in Gippsland, Victoria, for $17.

Using internet prices as a wily negotiating tactic, she has also saved money by challenging businesses in Broome to match the online deals.

"I tell them the price and they normally say 'We can get within that'," she said.

Not everyone agrees that online is best. Paradise teacher Sarah Belperio, 21, told AdelaideNow that she always bought locally.

"Even if something is cheaper online, I always want to see it, to try it on if it's clothes, before I buy it," she said.

"But the retailers definitely have a point. You don't want things overseas to look too appealing."

I buy quite a few stuff online. The reasons are

a) availability- I enlarged my army of Daleks from purchases online to UK sellers. Also some books I get from the aforementioned book depository because they just aren't available in Australia.

b) Cheaper - I expect this would improve with the dollar greater than parity with the Greenback.

There are certain things I want to inspect before hand, like cooking ware so I generally buy them in the shops. However for books and collectibles its less of an issue.

[dragon]

Here in Oklahoma they have whats called a use tax for out of state purchases bought online. Since they couldn't creat a tax based off of it being brought into the state, they taxed you for the the use of it. Still cheaper (4%)than paying state sales tax (7.25%) though.

Funny is with the high sales tax and tons of toll booths the state is in bad shape.

[bobalot]

Here in Oklahoma they have whats called a use tax for out of state purchases bought online. Since they couldn't creat a tax based off of it being brought into the state, they taxed you for the the use of it. Still cheaper (4%)than paying state sales tax (7.25%) though.

Funny is with the high sales tax and tons of toll booths the state is in bad shape.

To be fair, that may not the fault of the sales tax or toll booths.

[weemadando]

I was trying to figure the costs to actually enforce this proposed change. Customs and ATO must be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of getting to hire hundreds of new staff just to try and track, let alone enforce this stuff.

Also, people have been mining for choice Gerry Harvey quotes from the past. Like when he called for the guest worker visa program to be expanded so he could hire them in his stores and undercut minimum wage...

And it looks like The Age, News.com and ABC are all coming out with an editorial bent against the proposed changes. The phrase "Sour Grapes" seems to be featuring prominently. I wonder if NewsCorps bent will last once Murdoch rises from his coffin today.

[mr friendly guy]

older article where Harvey is eager to employ cheap foreign labour

further article on the topic, but with price comparisons

[mr friendly guy]

The retailers have upped the ante. They apparently plan to run advertising campaigns similar to the miners when they lobbied against the mining tax. Now they are calling people who shop online "unAustralian" and mentioning its wrong to stimulate another country's economy. Boo hoo. Maybe they shouldn't stock their inventory with overseas stuff if they are so against stimulating someone else's economy. Maybe we should convince China not to buy our stuff, because it stimulates our economy etc.

Sometimes the comedy just writes itself.

[weemadando]

I'm loving that Gerry Harvey is calling those of us who are part of this online backlash idiots and saying that "we just don't get it".

Then please Gerry, explain...

[Gandalf]

This is really bizarre. I wonder if others will join his crusade, or it'll be one man yelling at clouds?

I'm loving that Gerry Harvey is calling those of us who are part of this online backlash idiots and saying that "we just don't get it".

Then please Gerry, explain...

He said he would never go online. So if we shop online he'll either have to adapt or potentially lose his business. You wouldn't want Ol' Gerry to look like an idiot, would you?

[weemadando]

It's more than just Gerry Harvey, he's just the face of the campaign. There's Myer, David Jones, Target and more (21 in total) all in on this campaign.

[weemadando]

Here's a quick infographic from The Australian (shudder) that points out some of the issues. With regards to books, there's some other protectionist laws involved there too, but the price gap is still massive. And when you look at electrical devices etc it just gets worse.

[Stark]

The only reason I don't buy all my electrical shit in the US is their goddamn Edison silliness.

Special import duties for internet sales is such a backward idea, but I bet the riding crop manufacturers felt the same way a hundred years ago.

[bobalot]

It's hilarious. Retailers drove local manufacturers out of business by sourcing most of their merchandise overseas and are now complaining about their customers doing the same thing.

They used predatory pricing to wipe out smaller competitors and were big on Work Choices so they could treat their staff even more shittier......and now they want peoples sympathy? LoL