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Games Business Owners Played To Avoid GST Discount
posted (December 16, 2024)
Another fast one that retailers tried to pull was to say that the sticker price is not the GST price. That's another way to scam shoppers. Longsworth discussed this and other misconceptions and misdeeds that came up on Saturday and Sunday:

Michelle Longsworth, Director General - BTS
"For businesses, it is important that the businesses reflect the displayed prices include the GST because that is also a problem where the stores that we were having issues with or were reported on when they went, when persons went to the cashier, they said, well, that price is not inclusive of GST."

"That's breaking the law because the law states that your price on the shelf displayed should include GST. The other one is for us to understand that as a final consumer, I can purchase a box of pumpers. I can purchase a bale of toilet paper. I can purchase a sack of dog food. Those are not wholesale. I am a final consumer and I am allowed to buy stuff like that and I think those are the things that we want to target."

"There was some balance there where the businesses weren't sure if they should accept a credit card or a debit card because the notice said no credit. And that was just clearly a misinterpretation, because credit means you give somebody a good or a product and they pay a few days later or 30 days later."

"It does not mean using or paying by a means of a card. I mean, most people use cards these days. Nobody carries a big or large amount of cash anymore. And I think that was one of the earlier challenges, but that was explained."

"And I think after we explained that and we sent out the message that no, they had to accept credit and debit cards, that was not a problem anymore. I think taxpayers, we as taxpayers, we need to educate ourselves more because taxpayers clearly don't know what is zero rated and what is standard rated goods."

"And I think that is where the confusion came in when they started posting on social media because a lot of the things that were posted on social media, when our officers who were checking social media reports checked them, there was no error there."

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