I tried hard , being and Aussie
buying a US registered boat, to get out of the GST and duty, but in the end , just dam paid it , and put that down to what I can possibly make on the whole deal if I
sold it back in Aus. Not that, that is my intention.
Strange though , on reading this entry , I looked up my date of purchase (11 /11/ 2010) and the date of the importation records , ( 21/11/2011).
YES, 12 months and 10 days with proof of purchase from the origanal bill of
sale.
I quickly got on the ph to local
customs, and they said the 12 month
ownership did not fit my situation.
1- my vessel is over 7m ( wouldnt anything sailed across the Pacific be over 7m)
2- because it has motors , 2 being a cat , it is considered a
motor vessel which also , somehow counts me out.
Dont get me wrong , the
customs people were polite , easy to get on with and as helpful as possible, but these
regulations are only there for revenue.
One must not forget I was also made to import the frig gas, yes again you read right , import the fridge gas, at a one off cost of $400. This is meant to stop people bringing in ozone depleteing substances into Aus.
My thoughts here, are- wakey , wakey Mr/Mrs greeny, instead of creating ******** revenue and keeping yourself employed, why not have that $400 bucks put to changing the bluddy fridge gas.
I really am starting to understand why so many cruisers void Aus now.
My best
advice ,
phone them up and get your info from the horses mouth
, if they understand or know there own
regulations that is.
I must say again , they were as helpful as they could be , even if it was never what I wanted to hear.