Despite being the poster child for overcharging Australians for digital goods, Adobe doesn’t appear to have any intention of changing its behaviour. It has just released version 11 of its Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements consumer photo and video editing suites, and both have a hefty ‘Australia tax’ built right in.
Each package costs $144.38 on its own for a boxed copy, or you can buy them together for $219. If you choose to go download only, then the individual titles cost $131.25 while the bundle of both costs $199. For downloads, GST isn’t included or charged.
How does that compare to the US? The bundle of both titles is $US149.99, so we’re paying an additional 33 per cent simpy for being Australian. Even if you assume state taxes might have to be paid in some US locations, we come out way behind.
The pattern is similar with the individual titles, which are $US99.99 each. That’s not the most extreme version of the Australia tax we’ve seen, but it’s still hard to see any justification for it.
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