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mikehenden's avatar
mikehenden
New member | Level 2
11 months ago

Dropbox charges 15% Goods and Service Tax in New Zealand. Why?

I am based in New Zealand. I'm looking at updating my Dropbox subscription. So I see I can get 2TB of storage on Dropbox for $119.88 + 15% GST. I then see that all pricing is in $US.

As I see it, when dealing with international subscriptions (case in point, my Adobe Creative Suite subscription) where payment is made to another country (in Adobe's case Ireland via Australia) no taxes are applied. That's right, the New Zealand Government CANNOT get their 15% slice of the action if the payment is made offshore.

So why does Dropbox want to charge me an extra 15% (in $US) because I happen to live in New Zealand?

When I entered a chat session with Dropbox about this matter I was mysteriously disconnected... ??

  • Hi mikehenden , New Zealand has local VAT legislation which states that a non-resident company (Dropbox) who supplies services to consumers located in New Zealand must pay New Zealand VAT at 15% to the New Zealand tax office. 

  • mikehenden's avatar
    mikehenden
    New member | Level 2

    Timely post. As I have just mentioned in my post, I'm bemused by the Dropbox price being in USD, and then having to pay and extra 15% 'GST' because I happen to live in New Zealand. New Zealand Goods and Services Tax (GST) is payable to the New Zealand Government, but if payment is made to an offshore account, the New Zealand Government does NOT get its 15% slice of the action. So where does this extra 15% go?

    • amandachin's avatar
      amandachin
      Icon for Dropbox Product Manager rankDropbox Product Manager

      Hi mikehenden , New Zealand has local VAT legislation which states that a non-resident company (Dropbox) who supplies services to consumers located in New Zealand must pay New Zealand VAT at 15% to the New Zealand tax office. 

      • Opeechee's avatar
        Opeechee
        Explorer | Level 4

        Amanda, 

        Nobody cares about this, bring back Dropbox sharing direct to instagram please. You guys have completely dropped the ball here giving us it then taking it away, it's infuriating. 

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hi there mikehenden - thanks for posting on our Community. 

     

    I just wanted to mention that Dropbox collects and remits tax on transactions when required to do so. Taxability and tax rate are generally determined by the location of the buyer and seller, and various state and local tax laws.

     

    For more information, you can have a look here

     

    As for your chat session, do you happen to have a ticket number for reference? 

     

    I hope this helps a tad and please keep us posted. 

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