The National Retailers Association (NRA) is the latest to join in the fight on imposing tax on international bought products.
Representing 3,700 retailers, the group joins the Australian retail giants including Myer, David Jones and Harvey Norman in a national campaign to pressure the federal government to level the retail playing field by closing the GST and duty loophole.
It believes the current tax system is disadvantaging Australian business and penalising consumers.
Gary Black, NRA executive director, said in statement that the government should not have to wait until the results of the Productivity Commission Inquiry to make amendments.
“Every retailer in Australia will inform the Commission that it should remove the exemption, and the case in support of its removal is impeccable. There is no doubt that the exemption from GST and other import costs is being fully exploited by overseas based retailers and is causing significant damage to local businesses,” he said.
“It is important that the Australian Government move urgently to remove the current loophole. The importance of this issue is being understated and misrepresented.”
The NRA has emphasised the most recent quarterly employment data reveals the pressure the retail sector has been experiencing over recent times. While total employment for all industries since November 2007 has risen by 6.7 per cent, retail employment has declined by 1.14 percent.