🇦🇺Australia

Kundenabwanderung durch falsche Steuerberechnung auf Marktplätzen

Updated: Feb 20263 verified sources

Definition

Guidance for marketplaces stresses that tax calculation must reflect correct GST liability for EDPs and that tax engines "calculate and collect the amount of tax owed" for each transaction, supporting hundreds of products and staying up to date on rule changes.[1][4][5] When marketplaces rely on static tax tables or manual location logic, international buyers may see unexpected tax added or removed at checkout, particularly for low‑value imported goods, digital services and mixed baskets. Under‑charges are later corrected via additional invoices or order cancellation; over‑charges can generate refund requests and reputational issues. Although precise Australian data is scarce, industry tax solution providers target these pain points explicitly, highlighting lost revenue from incorrect tax presentation and the need for accurate, automated calculation across multiple jurisdictions.[1][4][5] Logic estimate: if 2% of cross‑border orders (e.g., 2,000 of 100,000 annual orders) are impacted by visible tax issues and 25% of those orders are cancelled or refunded partially, that is 500 lost or downgraded orders. On an average order value of A$80, direct lost GMV is A$40,000. Additional internal costs for each affected order (5–10 minutes of support at A$35/hour plus payment/chargeback fees of ~A$1 per transaction) add ≈A$6–A$12 per case, or A$3,000–A$6,000 on 500 cases, yielding total annual impact of ≈A$43,000–A$46,000 for a mid‑size marketplace. Larger platforms will see proportionally higher absolute losses.

Key Findings

Financial Impact: Quantified (logic-based): For a marketplace with 100,000 cross‑border orders/year, a 2% tax‑issue rate and 25% cancellation/refund rate implies ≈500 lost/downgraded orders. At A$80 average order value, lost GMV ≈A$40,000 plus ≈A$3,000–A$6,000 in support and payment handling costs (≈A$43,000–A$46,000 per year).
Frequency: Ongoing; spikes after tax rule changes, new country launches or system updates.
Root Cause: Outdated or static tax tables; incorrect EDP vs vendor responsibility logic; poor geolocation or address validation; no automated updates when GST or foreign tax rules change; insufficient testing for multi‑currency, multi‑jurisdiction carts.

Why This Matters

The Pitch: Australian 🇦🇺 internet marketplaces with cross‑border buyers lose 1–3% of gross merchandise value from cancellations, refunds and support effort due to tax miscalculations at checkout. Implementing automated, up‑to‑date tax engines for all jurisdictions reduces churn and protects margin.