Doing Business In Australia?
Then your company is probably paying Australian GST …
a 10% tax!
Welcome to EasyGSTrefunds
Has your business purchased Australian goods or services? If so, the cost may include Australian Goods and Services Tax, known as GST. This is a 10% tax.
The good news is that most businesses are legally entitled to a refund of GST. This applies equally to Australian businesses and to businesses outside of Australia.
If you ignore your entitlement to a refund, you are throwing away cash. Don’t lose out. Act now to improve your cash flow and profit margin.
We can help.
EasyGSTrefunds is a fast-growing business with connections to a worldwide network of GST and VAT reclaim professionals.
We are GST Specialists.
At EasyGSTrefunds, we take the confusion and hard work out of claiming a refund of the GST paid by your business. Whether your business is located in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa or anywhere in between, we can arrange for you to claim a refund of GST.
From humble beginnings in 2003, EasyGSTrefunds is now the leading niche provider in its field, arranging for GST refund services to be provided to businesses in all parts of the globe.
EasyGSTrefunds’ representatives have each been chosen for their familiarity with the workings of the GST, import/export experience and knowledge of both private and public sectors. Our team benefits from the advice of an experienced Australian tax lawyer and a Fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia.
We believe that you want more time to get on with your core business, without sacrificing your entitlement to a refund of Australian GST. Our mission is to make GST refunds easy for your business.
Our mission is to make GST refunds easy for your business.
CONSULTATION SERVICES
Speak with a specialist
Unsure if your company can get a refund of Australian GST?
Imagine leaving that money unclaimed.
Why not move forward with certainty and confidence, without the hassle of learning a whole new system of taxation?
For the price of a half hour consultation, you can find out how your company fits into the big picture of Australian GST refunds.
You will receive a 30 minute consultation call with a highly experienced registered Tax Agent.
Schedule a call now so that you get up to speed with your company’s entitlement to a refund of GST.
VAT & Other Tax Refunds
EasyGSTrefunds and its associates have expertise beyond Australian GST. Why not let us handle your handle your VAT refund requirements as well? There are a world of consumption taxes out there! Contact us to see what we can do for you.
Australia’s GST
Business Expenses
Business travellers to Australia pay GST on most goods and services. For example, Australian hotel costs, conference fees and taxi fares all include GST. Invoices for these expenses will show that GST has been charged. Contact EasyGSTrefunds to let us help arrange for your GST refund.
Goods Exported From Australia
If your business outside of Australia pays for goods from an Australian supplier and these goods are not exported from Australia within 60 days of payment, then GST will apply to the transaction. If your business outside of Australia pays to transport goods within Australia prior to them being exported from Australia, these transport costs may include GST. These are just two examples of how a purchase of goods exported from Australia may include a payment of GST.
In general terms, GST is not intended to apply to goods and services which are exported from Australia and there are specific provisions in the GST law designed to make exports GST-free. Despite this, overseas businesses which purchase Australian goods and services often find that the price payable includes GST.
For details of Australia’s exports and the relevant provisions which may make these exports GST-free, get in touch with us. The easy way to tell if you have been charged GST on goods exported from Australia is to take a look at the contract or purchase invoice, which will clearly indicate if GST is included in the purchase price. If you have paid GST, it is time to contact EasyGSTrefunds.
General Background Information
Australia’s GST was introduced with effect from 1 July 2000 and is currently imposed at a rate of 10%.
Through a registration and tax return process, it is usually possible for businesses outside of Australia to claim a refund of GST that they have paid. To be entitled to a refund, it is important to retain evidence of the payment of GST. The required evidence is a tax invoice. Most invoices issued by Australian businesses are in the form of a tax invoice.
Australia’s GST is equivalent to consumption taxes in other parts of the world. In the European Union, the consumption tax is called value added tax or VAT. Some other countries, such as New Zealand and Canada, also refer to their consumption tax as a goods and services tax.
Australia’s main GST provisions are set out in a piece of legislation called the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999. This legislation, as amended, includes over 680 sections and consolidated versions run to over 580 pages, not including the relevant regulations. Administration of the GST is handled by the Australian Taxation Office. The views of the Australian Taxation Office are expressed in Public Rulings and there are more than 70 Public Rulings concerning the operation of the GST. The ultimate arbiters of the meaning of the GST legislation are the Australian courts and the volume of relevant case law is growing.
a case study
XYZ Inc, a US company, trades in car parts. Representatives of XYZ made a business trip to Melbourne, Australia. Whilst in Australia, XYZ’s representatives paid for hotels, taxi fares, meals and miscellaneous other expenses. All of these expenses included GST. XYZ purchased car parts from an Australian company. The price that XYZ paid to the Australian company included GST because the car parts were exported to XYZ more than 60 days after XYZ had been invoiced for them. XYZ was also required to pay the rail costs to move the goods from the Australian company to the point of export, again including GST.
XYZ contacted EasyGSTrefunds. EasyGSTrefunds arranged for XYZ to be registered for GST and claim back a refund of the GST it had paid. This provided a boost to XYZ’s cash flow and profit margin. Easy.
glossary
ABN
Australian Business Number. An ABN is allocated as an identification number for businesses and other entities dealing with the Australian Taxation Office and other government departments. Businesses that charge GST have an ABN and this number will be shown on the relevant tax invoice.
creditable acquisition
An acquisition that gives rise to input tax credits (see ITC). Your business makes a creditable acquisition if it acquires something during the course of carrying on the business, the acquisition is a taxable supply, your business is liable to provide consideration for the supply and your business is registered or required to be registered. However, if the acquisition is for private or domestic purposes, or relates to your business making input taxed supplies, the acquisition will not be a creditable acquisition.
ITC
The leading niche provider in its field, arranging for GST refund services to be provided to businesses in all parts of the globe.
REDUCED INPUT TAX CREDIT
Banks and other institutions providing financial supplies may not be entitled to claim input tax credits, but will be entitled to reduced input tax credits in respect of certain acquisitions.
TAXABLE SUPPLY
A supply that gives rise to GST liability for the supplier. For a supply to be a taxable supply, the supply must be for consideration, made in the course of furtherance of an enterprise, be connected with Australian and made by an entity that is registered or required to be registered.
adjustment note
After a supply or importation has been made, there may be some subsequent event which alters the GST consequences for the parties. For example, the price may be reduced following spoilage of the goods in transit. The supplier will then issue an adjustment note setting out the change in price. An adjustment note may increase or decrease an entitlement to a GST refund.
easy gst refunds
The leading niche provider in its field, arranging for GST refund services to be provided to businesses in all parts of the globe..
INPUT TAX CREDIT
Input tax credits are offset against liability to pay GST, giving either a net liability to pay GST or an entitlement to a GST refund. Input tax credits arise from creditable acquisitions.
INPUT TAXED SUPPLIES
Input taxed supplies are not subject to GST. Therefore, the price paid for these supplies does not include GST and hence does not give rise to any entitlement to a refund of GST. In general terms, input taxed supplies include residential rent and many financial services, such as loans and share trades. The makers of input taxed supplies do not include GST in the price they charge for their supplies but are not entitled to claim back the GST they have paid on the inputs used to make those input taxed supplies.
ants
An acronym to describe the package of legislation which includes the goods and services tax legislation. For example, two pieces of ANTS legislation are A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Luxury Car Tax) Act 1999.
GST-FREE SUPPLIES
GST-free supplies are not subject to GST. Therefore, the price paid for these supplies does not include GST and hence does not give rise to any entitlement to a refund of GST. In general terms, GST-free supplies include many goods and services under the headings of healthcare, education, childcare, religious services and most exports. The makers of GST-free supplies do not include GST in the price they charge for their supplies but are entitled to claim back the GST they have paid on the inputs used to make those GST-free supplies
RITC
The leading niche provider in its field, arranging for GST refund services to be provided to businesses in all parts of the globe.
TAX INVOICE
For an invoice to be recognised as a tax invoice it must meet certain requirements. In particular, a tax invoice must show the supplier’s name and ABN, a brief description of the goods or services provided and whether GST has been included in the invoice total. The requirements vary depending upon whether the total amount payable exceeds Aus $1,000.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is GST?
GST stands for goods and services tax. It is an Australian tax imposed on the supply or import of goods, services and other things. Some other countries apart from Australia also impose a GST, such as Canada, Singapore and New Zealand. In other parts of the world, the equivalent tax is generally called either value added tax, more commonly known as VAT, or consumption tax.
Is my business paying GST?
If representatives of your business travel to Australia, then your business is paying GST. Australian hotel bills, restaurant meals, taxi fares and telephone calls all include GST. If your business imports goods or services from Australia, there may be GST charged on these things. Take a look at the relevant invoice and it will clearly state if GST is included in the total price.
Is my business eligible to claim a refund of GST?
If you are carrying on a business and your purchases are for the purpose of carrying on that business, then you are eligible to claim a refund of GST. Certain Australian businesses, such as banks and other providers of financial services, are largely excluded from claiming GST refunds. However, these restrictions generally do not apply to businesses outside of Australia.
Can my business only claim back GST on certain expenses?
If your business is located outside of Australia, there are few restrictions on the expenses in respect of which you can claim back GST. The most important factor is that the expense was incurred for the purpose of carrying on your business. On the other hand, if the relevant goods or services were acquired for a non-business purpose, such as entertainment or private consumption, then there is no entitlement to a GST refund. Ask us for more details.
How does my business claim a refund of GST?
To claim a refund of GST, your business must be registered for GST purposes, hold original tax invoices as proof of payment of GST and lodge one or more GST returns. To be registered for GST purposes, businesses located outside of Australia are required to provide more information and documentation to the Australian Taxation Office compared to their Australian counterparts.
What service does EasyGSTrefunds provide?
EasyGSTrefunds will arrange for your business to be registered for GST and for GST returns to be lodged on your behalf. These services are provided by registered tax professionals.
What is an ABN? What is an ITC? What is ANTS? What are RITCs? What is an adjustment note?
Australian’s GST involves a lot of specialist terminology. Our glossary may help.
Why use EasyGSTrefunds?
EasyGSTrefunds are the GST specialists. Our mission is to make GST refunds easy for your business. We are the leading niche provider in our field, arranging for GST refund services to be provided to businesses in all parts of the globe.
What does EasyGSTrefunds charge?
No refund, no fee. We charge a flat rate of commission which is deducted from your GST refund.
What is a tax invoice?
A tax invoice is a special form of invoice which indicates that GST has been included in the price of a purchase. Words to this effect must be set out on a tax invoice, as well as other details such as the Australian Business Number (“ABN”) of the Australian supplier. To be entitled to claim a refund of GST, your business must hold the relevant tax invoice.
My business paid GST a few years ago; can it still be claimed back?
Your business has four years in which to claim back a refund of the GST it has paid. Why wait? Contact EasyGSTrefunds now.
How much GST is my business paying?
GST is currently imposed at 10%. As an example, if your purchase of Australian services is subject to GST and the value of those services is $100, GST will be added to increase the price payable by $10 to a total of $110. Out of the total price of $110, GST of $10 is payable. Hence, the GST fraction of the total price is one eleventh.
How soon will my GST refund arrive?
The Australian Taxation Office has a “taxpayers charter” under which it promises to make payments of refunds within two weeks of all the relevant information for registration and returns having been provided. However, realistically, the payment process usually takes six to eight weeks counting from the date when your business is registered and returns have been lodged.
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EasyGSTRefunds Ltd
info@easygstrefunds.com