Amazon To Block Australian Customers From Its International Websites

Soon Amazon will block Australian customers from accessing any of its international websites, limiting them to Amazon Australia.

The decision goes into effect July 1 and comes after the Australian government updated its goods and services tax, which would require Amazon to pay a 10 percent tax on imported online goods worth less than AU$1,000.

The change to the tax law comes after years of lobbying by local retailers. Previously, the goods and services tax only applied to imports over AU$1,000 and most goods and services sold in Australia. 

Amazon Australia has about a tenth the selection of the company's U.S. site, and some have suggested Amazon is trying to drive traffic to the website. Though, other outlets report Amazon didn't want to be responsible for tracking all those goods and services tax transactions.