[jena]

Well the body price there was $100 cheaper ($1599) than othe stores in the area. Plus I got the 17-70mm for $299 which was unusually cheap compared to other places i'd seen it, oh well I wasn't complaining.

I'll pick it up in a week or two once I finish my tax return, trying not to spend more on the credit card lol

I tested the camera out today with the 17-70mm and loved the lense, I tried it out with the Pentax 18-50 WR lense which was ok but didn't really impress me.

Such discipline, I decided to put mine on the plastic, utlise the interest free period and pay it off with my tax return, same principal but I get my toy sooner.

[dazman]

Thanks for the info!

Now how does the refund come back as? As cash or cheque or ??

You can collect your refund through one of the following methods:

* cheque
* credit to an Australian bank account
* payment to a credit card

Customs will aim to post cheque refunds within 15 business days. Bank and credit card refunds will be issued by Customs within 5 business days, however, payment will be subject to processing by your bank or card issuer.



Just be careful if claiming GST on any item over $900. When you come back into the country you have to declare goods totaling more than $900 and may have to pay GST on it. So although you will get the GST paid back to you when leaving, you may have to pay it back on your return. See below

From TRS page:

Bringing the goods back into Australia

If the goods are to be brought back into Australia, please be aware that they may be subject to GST. Normal passenger concessions apply and include any items for which a TRS claim has been approved (excluding most personal items such as new clothing, footwear and articles for personal hygiene and grooming). If the value of those goods together with overseas purchases exceeds the passenger concession, the goods must be declared to Customs on your return to Australia. Penalties apply to undeclared taxable goods.

If in doubt you should declare the goods to Customs on your return.

More information is contained in the brochure 'Know Before You Go' which is available from Customs.

[raider]

Thanks dazman for the info. I didn't know you have to re-declare the goods when we re-enter Australia. That sorta defeat the purpose of getting the tax refund in the first place.....anyway...just thought i can save a few bucks by "smuggling" the K-7 out of the country Prolly doesn't work now

[Christopher M.W.T]

Such discipline, I decided to put mine on the plastic, utlise the interest free period and pay it off with my tax return, same principal but I get my toy sooner.

Well it's a cange for me I use to be so impulsive lol

[dazman]

Thanks dazman for the info. I didn't know you have to re-declare the goods when we re-enter Australia. That sorta defeat the purpose of getting the tax refund in the first place.....anyway...just thought i can save a few bucks by "smuggling" the K-7 out of the country Prolly doesn't work now

Customs may or may not ask you to pay back the GST on your return to the country...depends on the customs officer.

An option is to not claim the full purchase cost of the GST back, when leaving the country. Only claim to the total of $900 = $90 refund. Not sure if this would work...but I'll give it try in a 6 weeks and see what they say/do.

[raider]

Dazman, the problem is how do you convince the customs on departure that the k-7 is only worth $900 when it is more like $1500 in reality? Don't we need to provide receipt when we are claiming the GST refund?

[mungbean66]

I think it would be best to claim the tax back whilst leaving and don't advise customs that you have the camera on you. Carry on is your friend here.

In the event they do discover something (highly unlikely), I would just tell them that you've had the camera for more then 30 days. I doubt they would check this, although it is a little underhanded.

I've personally brought back $1000s of dollars of goods without declaring it but to be honest, this was out of ignorance (I don't really read the fine details :s).

[raider]

Thanks for that tip! I will NEVER tell Customs that i learnt this from pentaxforum

[xhanatos]

i work for the customs... i will be keeping an eye out for people going through customs with their K-7s..





I reckon customs/border security are too busy dealing with contraband smugglers. Leave us pentaxians alone!

[raider]

The next TV episode of "Border Security: Australia" will feature some custom officials catching pentax users carrying K-7 into the country. That will be hilarious!

I don't want to go on national television on that one!

[dazman]

Dazman, the problem is how do you convince the customs on departure that the k-7 is only worth $900 when it is more like $1500 in reality? Don't we need to provide receipt when we are claiming the GST refund?

What I was suggesting was, sorry I didn't explain it better...when handing over the receipt explain to the person behind the TRS counter that you will be returning to the country and wish to only claim up to the max allowance ie $900, not the purchase total of the K-7 ie $1500-1700.
You could try and con customs out of any extra $50-70 by not declaring the goods on your return, but why risk it & break the law for such a small amount. The fines are worth more than the camera.
I'll ask if it's allowed when I go through customs, 6 weeks from now. I'll let you know on my return = (+4 weeks).