A Word To The Wise Traveller - Tourist GST Refunds

The TRS is not a failed English fighter plane project - you are thinking of the TSR.

The TRS is the Tourist Refund Scheme - the government initiative to boost sales here in Australia by allowing genuine travellers a rebate of their GST when they depart from the country. It has definite rules about how much you need to buy, how and when you need to buy it, and what the limits are on what you get back.

There are dedicated desks and staff to deal with this at most Australian airports that have an overseas flow-through. In Perth it is after you pass all the security business and have your shoes and belt back on, so at least you have recovered a modicum of dignity. It apparently all goes pretty smoothly when the stream of hopefuls is thin.

When times are busy, however, long lines may form and the staff may not be able to cope with the rush - this is worry for the travellers because they too are on a timed schedule...

To speed things up an app has been introduced for those people with smart mobile phones. If you can use this sort of help and have a phone that will do it, it would be a good idea to load the app well before you travel. Then there is no anxiety at the airport about not getting your registration and transaction done on time. No-one likes to be the last to board the plane under the glare of the flight attendants and the rest of the passengers - you might not see the drinks trolley all flight. Even more awkward for those who arrive after the cabin doors are armed and cross-checked. They put a folding chair out on the wing for you and tell you to hang on...

" I'm Going To Europe, So..."

" So - I want to get a good camera in Singapore. Which one should I get? "

" As they say on Radio Yerevan...basically, no..."

If you hope to capture glorious scenes of the high life of Paris and fabulous trips down the Rhein and the majesty that is England...with something that you are going to haggle for in Popup Market Stall No. 34...we wish you the best of luck and will be looking out for your name in lights at the photography exhibitions.

You are in no different position than those who have preceded you - the generations of English migrants who bought cameras and projectors in Aden on the way here - and their Australian neighbours who went up to Singers and did the same all through the 60's and 70's. The building that houses Market Stall No. 34 is new but the philosophy of 34 is old.

You won't be sorry. Much. Even if the contents of whatever box N0.34 presses on you works, it is unlikely that you will be able to learn enough of the operations to let you make good pictures. You may wish to study the paper instruction booklet in the camera box, but if they only include the manual on CD...all you can really do in the airplane cabin is play frisbee. But you won't be sorry. Much.

When you get to Europe you may well discover that the plugs on the chargers do not fit the local wall socket. If you are going to the UK you will find that nothing ever fits any electric socket there. If you go to Greece the electricity authority will suck voltage out of your battery to help feed the local grid. It is possible that the camera that No.34 sold you has a battery that was last made in 2001 - which explains the high fives that store staff were giving each other as you left. But you won't be sorry. Long.

Take heart - at least you are not going to be in the same position as the English tourists who bought 12V DC slide projectors in Aden and then plugged them into Western Australian 240V AC sockets. I've seen one of those and it must have been as good as Vesuvius for a very short period of time. I wonder if they were sorry...

Let's face it. If you are going to Europe to have a good time and need complex electrical, mechanical, or optical equipment to function well - and if you need to train yourself on that gear - you are far better off shopping locally and giving yourself adequate time to get up to speed. You need to deal with someone who has genuine warranties. If you buy within a couple of months of your trip you'll still get 10% back at the TRS desk, so you needn't feed Stall 34.

You won't be sorry.

Go Away - The Government Will Pay You To Do It - TRS

Ah, how I miss the 1960's - particularly when I travel on an airplane. I can't begin to describe the pleasure that was an international flight then - the smoking in the aircraft, the morning fry-up high above the Pacific ( and it was lamb's fry ,too...), the complex procedures and bureaucratic diddle that was involved in getting a duty-free camera in or out of the country...

You had to buy it from a shop that could fill out the forms, then you had to have the bag containing the camera sealed, then you had to present the sealed bag to Customs, ten you had to stand on one leg and do a jig, then...

All that has gone. Up until yesterday we could get quite a decent little return for the Tourist Refund Scheme by presenting the tax invoice and the goods at the airport - there were restrictions, of course, but all in all it was a civilised.

Good news. It gets even better.

As of yesterday there have been key changes to the TRS:

1. Travellers can claim through the TRS on purchases made up to 60 days before leaving Australia. The previous ruling was 30 days. This applies to sales made as of yesterday.

In practical photographic terms, this means you can buy a new camera, read the instructions, try it out, take a course on how to do it, and get yourself up to speed technically before your trip. Better tourist pictures.

2. Travellers can submit more than one tax invoice to make the claim. Each tax invoice must be from the one Australian Business Number  ( ABN ) retailer and the total value of the goods purchased is $ 300 or more ( including GST).

People intending to use this scheme and then bringing the goods back into the country may need to consult with the TRS people or Australian Customs to see if they will be required to do anything upon re-entering Australia. I should imagine their website or their phone line will help in this.

Please note that it might also be necessary in the case of some equipment that you already own, and that will not be subject to this scheme, to register the serial numbers so that there is no debate when you haul it back after your trip. Check with Customs.