The Federal Treasurer has advised that on Wed 27.11.2013, he held his first meeting with the State and Territory Treasurers, where a new infrastructure partnership was discussed along with the GST threshold for online purchases.
On GST, Mr Hockey said the States were provided with the material they had previously requested on the costs of any changes to the online threshold. They will now consider that advice. There was no agenda item to discuss any changes to the base or rate of the GST, Mr Hockey said. (Source: Treasurer’s media release, 27 November 2013.)
NSW Treasurer Mike Baird welcomed the Federal Government’s agreement to work with the States and provide additional financial incentives to deliver infrastructure, while at the same time progressing work to reduce the low-value import threshold for GST. He said the State Treasurers had been united in their push to lower the GST threshold for online purchases. Mr Baird said work was started under the former Federal Treasurer and Mr Hockey had on Wed 27.11.2013, “commissioned a joint working-group of State and Commonwealth Treasuries to finalise proposals for lowering the threshold ahead of a Treasurers meeting in March 2014”. He said there was “still considerable work to do in terms of how this can be administered in the most efficient and cost-effective way, but we are encouraged that the Commonwealth has today committed to a decision in March [2014]”. (Source: NSW Treasurer’s media release, 27 November 2013.)
[LTN 230, 27/11/13]