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I'm not surprised by either development. The small value GST exemption was for the convenience of the Government administration as well as the importer, and was practical and sensible so long as small value private imports were only a very small percentage of private imports. Now that they're a flood, they are a serious threat to government revenue and that loophole has to be blocked. Local on-line retailers pay the GST; evens things up.
Ultimately overseas on-line retailers will have to introduce globally compatible GST/VAT systems into their sales software, specially if they want to sell into those markets without setting up a local store. I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon is doing just that, with an eye on similar problems with other countries in the future.
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