The Federal Government says it will consider imposing the GST on imported goods worth less than $1,000 to help local retailers compete against online stores.

Retailers say the current GST rules and the strength of the Australian dollar have prompted many consumers to buy goods from international websites, hurting the economy.

A spokesman for Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten says the issue deserves serious examination.

He says while the threshold is good for consumers, it needs to be balanced against the interests of retailers.

This morning, Mr Shorten downplayed suggestions the Government was poised to introduce GST on imports but said he had been talking to Australian retailers about the issue.

"It's not clear at this stage what to do," Mr Shorten told ABC News Breakfast.

"We'll have to work something out and assess if it is administratively feasible.

"[At the moment] it's only at that stage."

Consumer group Choice says any move to extend the GST on goods bought over the internet needs to be carefully thought through.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn says retailers are hurting but adjusting the GST on internet purchases is not necessarily the answer.

"When the dollar goes through its normal cycle and drops again, is it necessary to adjust the threshold at this stage?" he said.

"Other questions are how do you administratively collect it?

Yesterday, Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey said local retailers were under threat from online stores and called for online purchases from overseas to be taxed.

"A good government would look at it, anticipate the problems, and start doing something about it," he said.

"They wouldn't sit there and just ignore it and say it's too hard. But guess what they'll do? They'll sit there, they'll ignore it, it'll be too difficult. They'll make excuses, then later on [say] 'oh yes we should have done something back there. I wish we'd been a bit smarter'."

Currently consumers can purchase goods worth up to $1,000 online from overseas without paying GST.