Alternative To Requiring An ABN

[Chris.C]

So there has been some recent discussion about the potential launch of .au domains.

In my reply I suggested that less regulation is preferable to too much regulation. One of my suggestions was that the ABN requirement should be removed (I'm not even sure it's properly enforced anyway).

Whilst I think that requirement has had some upsides as well - ie it's allowed mostly Australians to register the premium domains names of our country. However I believe that those days are well and truly gone and I think the ABN rule is preventing growth and forcing many Australians to opt for .com's instead.

What do people think of dropping the ABN rule? Or switching it to something like requiring a a Tax File Number (which almost all Australians have) rather than an ABN?

 

[Shane]

...I think the ABN rule is preventing growth and forcing many Australians to opt for .com's instead.

In my opinion the only people who are going to pay decent money for an AU domain are going to have an ABN anyway. So the ABN requirement may stifle growth in registrations, but I doubt it would have much impact on growing the value of domains.
Okay so maybe you'd get some more activity from overseas investors, but they're never going pay anything close to an Australian end-user.

 

[findtim]

i think the abn rule is good but i do think a tax file number is another good solution for people to be able to register a domain, i doubt anyone who is JUST a TFN is really serious so they would just go to crazyD and get a hand reg longtail hypen type name so its not going to do a domainer any good, GEEZ......... if you can do an ABN why would you start looking for a $1000+ domain ?
as for overseas, ............ haven't we sold enough of australia already ????
tim

 

[xwdomains]

In my opinion the only people who are going to pay decent money for an AU domain are going to have an ABN anyway. So the ABN requirement may stifle growth in registrations, but I doubt it would have much impact on growing the value of domains.
Okay so maybe you'd get some more activity from overseas investors, but they're never going pay anything close to an Australian end-user.

This is not the case I have sold a few domains to overseas buyers, they pay much better then most Australian buyers maybe I was just lucky.

Also international buyers simply register a company for like $600 bucks and can get an ABN anyway it just keeps the little guys away.

Should be an open the market like every other country what's the highest sale here 125k sounds great but its a lot less then other country TLD's with an open market.

 

[Data Glasses]

Trademark?

 

[petermeadit]

Interested to hear more about any cases you know of people who want to register a domain but don't have an ABN.
ABN seems pretty easy to get BTW. But I hear about Tradies who don't have them, etc.
Any examples of someone who tried to register a domain without an ABN?

 

[Data Glasses]

A note from Mum?

 

[Lemon]

I can't see any requirement for having an ABN under the eligibility rules for com.au. Sole traders, trademark holders and even business name holders do not necessarily have to have an ABN. ABNs are used for tax purposes so if you register a domain without an ABN it means the registrar must withhold the tax which makes invoicing more complicated, but there is no rule to say you must have an ABN. I have registered domains for clients using just their ARBN.

 

[findtim]

interesting point you make lemon, i haven't tried that as 99.99% of my clients have abn's, even the organisations that are my clients still have abn's
i'm not sure of the legal protocol now we are all under asic control, it would be interesting to find out from someone that knows.
i just normally ask my clients for their ABN and the give it to me, haven't had anyone not give me one

tim