State and Commonwealth leaders meeting in Sydney have agreed to extend the goods and services tax to low-value imported parcels.
The decision means Australians enjoying the lower prices offered overseas will soon find themselves paying GST, the same as when they buy goods from Australia. This, combined with the weakening Australian dollar, may find some online shoppers forced back to Australian prices.
The leaders have already agreed to extend the GST to digital imports of movies, books and software from 2017.
(Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Online )