Checked out the kitesurf forum to see if there was anything on the WAsurf guy who was on the news in a peice about competing against imported goods/ lowering the GST threshold. He owned WA surf and now installs solar panels. Was saying that the Duty on imported goods was 10% and then GST was 10%, so he was 20% disadvantaged against online competitors.
Is this choicey and then puppet bought the shop? mentioned on here fairly often.

Seemed like a good bloke. Was interested how an ex kitesurf shop owner ends up on TV commenting on the GST debate..
Anyhow if you're out there mate good luck

That would be phil. You must of seen his threads on gst and import taxes on here.

TurtleHunter said..

That would be phil. You must of seen his threads on gst and import taxes on here.

Just to avoid confusion here - WA Surf is another Phil not this one.
Dont know if WA Surf Phil is into Solar Panels?? . Im not.

Hey great you guys saw it. Too many phil's in this world!

I actually exchanged contracts on WA SURF a couple of weeks ago to my long term manager Drew and Andy who used to work at SOS. So WA SURF still going strong, it's one of the shops doing quite well as it has a large school component and North. But you know, not getting any younger and compared to my friends (or even ex instructors) with more traditional type businesses or mining jobs, just not the same equation.

And yea I have teamed up with an electrician mate of mine to run some trade teams and install solar systems. I've always been in small business as I make a crap employee, and I've got to say already this is much, much easier, this must be what normal feels like, I can even see hope and prosperity and a tiny light at the end of the tunnel.

Having said that Drew was hands down the best employee I have ever had in any business and I wish I could have afforded to pay him more. I think the guys will do some pretty innovative things and make a real go of it.

Choicey is Graeme Baker and actually called his shop Choice Kitesurfing, in Hamilton Hill near woodies. The other Phil is Kite, Surf, Sup and he opened up in Choicies old shop but is now on Scarborough Beach road. So don't get either of us mixed up with Choicey as I pride myself on always paying my bills and never letting anybody down in business.

So the ABC thing, I'm pretty pissed that the government is not just closing an obvious loophole and is subsidising overseas shops, the gutless retards must be so scarred of somebody fingering them as the one who fixed the system. Same time they are more than happy to subsidise other industries that will never work, and all retailers want is for the gov't to administer their tax system fairly.

So I just started blogging a bit and making Boganomics/Freonomics youtubes and responding to journo's who had written about the issue. Next thing head of the retailers association is contacting me and saying they will present me as an example to a meeting with Wayne Swann, so remarkably easy to get my point across at the top levels. If I had a bit more cash I'd run for office.

Journo's I'm afraid are part of the problem, they do articles on this stuff and don't even understand the basics themselves and it's like 5 minutes research to get up to speed. Most of the public think gst is exempt from online purchases and nobody knows the threshold is linked to the customs tariffs and fees, and how long has this debate been going on? You watch Gerry Harvey put forward the facts about huge job losses and the extra duties, fees and compliance that Aussie businesses have, to somebody like Emma Alberici or Leigh Sales from the ABC, and they may as well be Ali G, they sum up the story by saying that Myers is behind the times and not embracing online, for ****s sake of course not, who is going to advertise that they are uncompetitive, instead they are investing in those overseas shops that do have an advantage.

Also don't worry about me, I have a golden rule that I never invest more than the same $50k I first did when I was 22 for my first ever business, as in I'll re-invest profits but never dip into savings or get loans for any type of expansion. So I'm pretty easy come, easy go, it didn't cost me anything, but there are so many little retailers out there, locked into a long term lease, we're ballsier than me and invested in expansion, maybe to old to retrain, and they are caught in this nightmare of their customers thinking they are ripping them off, they are going under anyway and their own stupid Government is working against them. One day they won't be able to pay their BAS and they'll shoot themselves.

Anyway that's the story, thanks for the well wishes, see you on the water.

And what more fitting way to announce the ownership transfer of the most kick arse, professional, passion based, best placed kite shop in the whole of the world than on a taxation article on the ABC.

One small media appearance and look at the results.