Changes to online GST laws spell good news for Cairns businesses

CHANGES to the government’s GST laws on July 1 mean Amazon has decided to stop shipping to Australian addresses and the likes of ASOS, Nordstrom and Macy’s are set to follow.

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CHANGES to the government’s GST laws on July 1 mean Amazon has decided to stop shipping to Australian addresses and the likes of ASOS, Nordstrom and Macy’s are set to follow.

But this could be good news for Cairns business owners as the lack of online options pushes shoppers back into bricks and mortar stores.

The owner of Black Ivy Boutique Deb Hayton with some of the stock in her Cairns Central store PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS

Black Ivy Boutique owner Deb Hayton has been competing with online stores for years.

“As soon as online sales started it literally killed business, it caused me to close down three stores back then,” Ms Hayton said.

“You’ll always have people who prefer to sit at home and order things from their beds, but when you shop in store you are keeping people in jobs and you know that it fits right every time.”

She hoped the people driven into small Cairns businesses after July 1 realised the difference their support would make to those business owners.

“I don’t think the people who shop online understand the background.

“There are the business owners who could lose everything, the staff that could lose their jobs,” she said.

“People need to understand that in a small town.

“So fingers crossed, for small businesses’ sake, this change does make them shop in store.”

Ms Hayton said the benefits for shoppers was unparalleled in even the best online stores.

“You can come in here and get a full outfit, you’ll know that it all matches, and more of a reason is the sizing,” she said.

“You can come in, make sure it fits, have that face-to-face experience, have great customer service, and see the whole look.”

The new GST laws will require businesses with an annual turnover of more than $75,000 to collect GST on purchases under the current low-value threshold of $1000.

The changes came into effect after lobbying from Australian retailers, including Gerry Harvey.

Originally published as Changes to online GST laws spell good news for Cairns businesses