Importing boat to Australia

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by Kojiro

I've just had a quick look at the Australian Customs website and cut and pasted their view on how they will determine costs of getting the boat to Australia. Doesn't seem to indicate the idea that costs would be assessed from last port of call (e.g. maybe NZ in my case).

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Where the yacht is sailed to Australia, overseas freight will be determined having regard to essential sailing costs incurred under the most commercially viable conditions. Such costs would include sailing expenditure necessarily incurred while the vessel is actually sailing (and entering and leaving) those ports of call on the most commercially viable route. It would not include any in port expenditure related to the vessel's period of stopover
. Where supported by sufficient/reliable information, essential sailing costs would also include:

• cost of maps, charts pilot books, light/radio lists, etc.
• crew's hire/wages or forage allowance in lieu
• victualling or food costs (does not include tobacco and alcoholic beverages)
• bunkering or oil/fuel costs.

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Any one have experience in the matter?

ohhh.. wow.. It used to be last port of call. I researched the same idea some time back. Thinking Florida to Aus with a US made boat. To be honest my numbers meant that by the time I got home I would have spent a total amount similar to the Aus value of the boat. However, that would have included six or so months of bumping around the pacific.

[badey0015]

Hi - I'm in a similar position as many of you involved in this thread. Planning to buy a boat in the states and sail her back to Australia over 12 months.

I've been contemplating paying gst-stamp duty which I had accepted as unvoidable. Then today a thought crossed my mind - and I wondered if anyone had any thoughts as to whether this would be possible.

My partner has dual Australian and British passports. She is Australian though and lives in Australia.

Would it be possible to buy the boat in the states, register her in the EU/UK under my partners name, sail her back to Australia and not have to pay any tax/stamp duty?

Obviously it may become an issue if we ever sold her in Australia. I'm guessing there are some hurdles involved in this devious plan.....would appreciate your thoughts. ; )

[ozskipper]

I doubt the govt wouldnt have some sort of way of getting the coin out of you. I saw a boat on boatpoint a while back that had been imported but the owners hadnt paid thier dues. I am sure many people ran away from it once they read that parragraph from the broker- ultimately devaluing the boat .

Remember that if you by and american made boat ( and can prove it with documentation) there is no duty, due to a trade agreement with the yanks. But if you buy a frog boat, you have to cough up that bit extra. You may want to double check that Rudd/Gillard didnt change it. But it has been the rule of thumb for some time