Closed petition Reverse the decision to add GST to all Amazon orders
We run a self-funded rescue animal charity and paying 5% more on Amazon and eBay orders will add to our costs and is wrong. There are people in this island who are struggling with their own food costs, rents etc. this will only cause more worry.
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Think about those who don’t own their own properties. We are in a private rental, so we pay high rent for everything - the house, fields, sheds and feed for our animals etc. Many more animals are being rehomed as people are being forced to give them up although having animals is good for a person’s mental health. Unfortunately, we will be unable to continue to keep feeding and looking after these animals. GST should not be charged on orders that cost less than £60.00.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months
3,296 signatures
5,000
Ministers responded
This response was given on 3 August 2023
The GST Law already allows registered charities to reclaim all GST paid to any suppliers, incurred in the course and furtherance of their charitable aims.
Read the response in full
The GST Law already allows registered charities to reclaim all GST paid to any suppliers, incurred in the course and furtherance of their charitable aims.
It would not be appropriate to provide a GST exemption solely for goods sourced from one named retailer as that would be discriminatory and susceptible to legal challenge by all other retailers.
The recent change to oblige larger offshore retailers to register for GST (and so charge GST at the point of purchase) fulfils a long-standing commitment of Governments since GST was introduced in 2007 to help “level the playing field” between domestic and offshore retailers. Affected retailers were given a year’s notice (later extended by a further six months) to make systems changes – that is since before the Ukraine war started and precipitated the current cost-of-living crisis. Ministers will continue to consider the best ways to support islanders in these difficult times.
The previous position (where offshore retailers did not have to register for GST) was only tenable while they did not have the capabilities to charge Jersey GST. That situation changed in 2021 following UK and EU moves to require large retailers to charge VAT at the rate in force in the countries of destination of goods and to pay that tax over to the relevant national treasuries. Having accommodated changes in the UK and EU, the marginal cost of doing the same for Jersey made economic sense.
Collection of GST by offshore retailers means the goods will proceed through customs smoothly, as there is no longer a requirement for tax to be collected at the border and checked through ‘CAESAR.’
The GST De Minimis level of £60 (from 1 July) remains to assist Customs Officers in clearing lower-value consignments through Customs expeditiously, from offshore retailers not required to register (those with less than £300K turnover in Jersey).
Where islanders buy goods from offshore retailer who are not GST-registered, they are liable to pay GST on goods valued at £60 or higher in the normal way.