Uber appeals in court the decision of the Australian authorities to collect taxes on goods and services from UberX drivers

The online taxi service Uber will file a complaint with the Federal Court of Australia. The company found it unfair to the decision of the Australian Tax Administration (LSA) that from August 1, Uber drivers must pay the tax on goods and services (GST), like all other taxi drivers. The introduction of the tax will lead to a 10% increase in Uber tariffs, which will weaken the company's advantage over traditional taxi services.

“UberX drivers provide transportation services to their clients from the place where the client is located, to the place where he needs to go. They do it on a commercial basis. This is a form of service called a taxi. The fact that UberX drivers are demanding the payment of GST does not lead to the fact that these drivers suddenly find themselves in a disadvantageous position compared to ordinary taxi drivers. They are just starting to be taxed in the same way as all other taxi drivers, ”says Blair Davis, general director of the Australian Taxi Industry Association.

Uber does not identify its drivers with ordinary taxi drivers, reports Financial Times. The company regards them exclusively as participants of the “sharing industry”: “More than 50 jurisdictions of the world recognize ridesharing with a new model, which requires updating all the requirements and rules to reflect the unique features of ridesharing. PUA is trying to cram this new technological model of today into the regulatory framework invented in those years when no one had heard of such technology. ”
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Australian authorities do not recognize ridesharing legal. According to them, this kind of activity must be prosecuted, and drivers - fined.