With the Australian Federal Government flagging a GST on intangibles in the next Federal Budget, Australian gamers could see their digital goods increase in price by 10%.
The widening of the GST will target non-physical goods such as Netlfix, e-books, music and software. While the GST already applies to imported goods over $1000, it’s never been applied to these non-physical goods or, intangibles.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a review in 2012 by Premiers Nick Greiner and John Brumby found that lost GST revenue on intangibles amounts to around $1 billion AUD per year. Software imports have more than doubled since 2012.
While the most obvious gaming target of the tax would Steam it would seem to be applicable to Apple and the App Store, however Apple says its prices won’t increase as GST is already paid on all purchases.
How do you feel about the potential for Steam prices to increase by 10%?
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