GST is charged only by companies who are GST registered. You will usually pay GST on all your household bills, groceries, even cars. Businesses are only required to register for GST if their turnover is above a certain level ($46,000p/a i believe).
If you have a company, you can claim GST back on all purchases made for that business.
I'm afraid if you want to live in a small nation, you've got to pay the price! You could always move to the UK, where the GST (called VAT there) is 17.5% on all purchases! Or you might want to consider Germany, where you pay 40% tax on all your income!
It's no wonder so many people cant understand this argument. If you come from the UK, paying just 12.5% GST is great, coming from the US you think its aweful. Tax is comparable to the UK, except you dont get a personal allowance, but compared to the US it seems to be extortionate.
There's a firm and true solution to this whole thing - one size most definitely does not fit all.
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Taffy
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
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