The most expensive imported item the average Aussie buys is a car. If you check overseas prices for new and used cars you'll discover they are about 30% cheaper than here. The reason for this is twofold:
(a) Australian Design Rules (ADRs) which do not recognise some overseas standards of safety and testing.
(b) The costs of landing a car in Australia
Australan Design rules are there to protect the major Auto Manufacturers market and not the australian motorist. It is absurd that we do not recognise Japanese standards and instead use a modified version of European standards. To crash test a vehicle in Australia can cost up to a quarter of a million dollars and that is only one test of about 50 that have to be done.
Landing costs for a new luxury car ex japan such as a Lexus LS 460 are: Shipping and insurance ...........................$2000 Australian wharf /agency charges............$ 500 Quarrantine services ................................$ 300 Custom services........................................$ 250 Import duty................................................$7,500 Luxury car tax...........................................$15,000 GST........................................................... $18,000
Thats a total of $43,550 on a $200,000 luxury car
Please note the tax on tax: import duty-Luxury car tax and GST on top of the lot including distribution and dealer margins.
Import duty and luxury car tax is justified by the government to protect our local manufacturing. If you dont like the charges then you should be advocating the abolitiion of taxpayers funds to local manufacturers so that you can access cheaper cars from overseas. Cheers Moorookamick
