I was part of a Reddit gift exchange ages ago, before they separated domestic from international. I had to ship a $30 coffee mug to Brazil and it cost $220. Oof.
On the other hand, in the USA I bought a MikroTik CRS312 12-port 10Gbps network switch from a Latvian online store (Getic) for ~$500 plus $20 shipping, and didn’t have to pay any import duties/taxes because it’s under the $800/day duty-free limit. Way cheaper than buying it in the USA, where the same item is commonly $600 + taxes.
Australia is similar and has a $1000 duty-free limit, however online stores that have a lot of Australian customers do need to charge Australia sales tax (GST) of 10%. It can still end up cheaper, so there’s still a lot of grey imports in Australia (which is where you buy products that are available in Australia from an online store in a different country because it’s cheaper).
Denmark. I bought something from the US. About 300 DKK. I had to pay for shipping. About 300 DKK. I had to pay the toll. I had to pay a mandatory 120 DKK fee for the postal service to charge the toll. I had to pay taxes on the fee. I had to pay taxes on the purchase. I had to pay taxes on the shipping.
In the end I paid about 1000 DKK for a 300 DKK package.
Here in the US, I bought a used school bus to convert into a skoolie and I paid $3600 for it. To register it as a motorhome I had to pay a 6% tax, so $216 dollars, and that was it. I know of a few people in Europe who bought similarly-priced US buses and had them shipped over. For buses that cost around $4000, they had to pay that amount again for shipping and then double that amount for the various taxes and import fees, so a $4K bus cost them $15K to $20K.
Danish citizens and most Europeans get a lot for their tax money and fees. Not least peace of mind and a well-functioning society that actually makes it possible to live and not just survive.
I know it’s easy to complain, but as someone who lives in the US, I’d be thrilled to live in such a society. I don’t have any more money left over for myself even with the slightly lower taxes. I just have to pay out of pocket for everything.
Dude, Argentina recently updated this from 100% tax to 155%. We literally pay more to the government than the full price. And this is for every purchase, no matter the amount. Be thankful that your shitty politicians are less shitty than ours, you could be worse.
“Be happy about your horrible situation because there are more horrible situations out there” is such a shitty take.
Basically you’re saying “unless you’re the single most unfortunate person on the planet, maybe even throughout all of human history, you should be happy”, which is obviously nonsense.
Be thankful and be happy are different things. “Wow, I’m thankful I’m not that fucked up like the guy over there. I should take steps to totally get away from the path that leads to that place.”
It’s like looking your future self in a mirror, you still can do something to get away from that bad omen.
Rio is nowhere as bad as half the rest of the territory in matters of extreme heat. Mato Grosso, Amazonia and Pará are frequently way worse, and also where the majority of illegal forest fires for land clearing happen.
You must thank to the new president and his policy of spend money as were no tomorrow and create ministries and secretaries for other parties in order to approve laws. Ah ask to DiCaprio and Greta if this is good for them, bacause they supported this candidate, and the environment got no improvement so far
They do, they really do 😂. There is this one gal, Melanie, she calls me personally to ask me “how long do you plan on doing this 😒… eventually you’re gonna get caught 😒” 🤣🤣🤣. I just say “I have no idea what you’re talking about, I just have a lot of relatives in wherever” 🤣🤣🤣.
and its being taxed directly at the platform, so no chance of asking them to claim a lower price like we used to do before. we have to find another way.
Ohhh it wasn’t a Pinephone I ordered, it was a Pinecil v2 and a bunch of accessories and stuff for it. Sorry I should have been clearer lol.
The pinecil is absolutely amazing so far, however the included stock tip is pretty rubbish, doesn’t distribute heat too well. The optional extra ones are much better. The whole thing is deceptively small, I thought it was going to be much larger!
Nah you are good, it was me that assumed. I’m glad to hear it is amazing! I’ve been wanted to get a pinecil too. Good to know the optional tips are worth it!
Pakistan coming in with 50% phone tax + 18% 25% luxury item sales tax + 50% customs duty + 7% service fee + cash money you need to bribe customs to release your package + shipping & handling
That’s import VAT, that is, if you import something they want to make sure that you’re paying the same 19% VAT as if someone else had imported it and then sold to you. Doesn’t apply to stuff under 22 Euro as the paperwork would cost them more than you owe.
There’s also import tariffs though most stuff, and in particular most electronics, don’t have any tariff applied, these are EU single market tariffs and not German in particular. The currently largest one seems to be e-bikes from specifically China, a total of 80% as an anti-dumping measure. Under usual circumstances tariffs tend to be under 20%, shoes with uppers from stuff other than leather about 17%, 10% on cars, 4% on leather clothing, lots of such stuff.
AliExpress really has that stuff figured out, they’re not fighting it any more, tons of issues in the past with Chinese sellers mis-labelling stuff to “save me money” which only meant that they got shitbinned by the Zoll and every single one of their parcels intercepted and inspected. They now have warehouses in the EU and do all the import handling when stocking them which means that the customer doesn’t have to interact with customs at all and orders arrive in a day or three.
In these areas where bribes are so commonplace for all manner of interactions I just can’t help but wonder how it goes on so long without anyone being desperate enough and wild enough to just pull a gun or a knife and basically say, “My bribe payment to you is just do your damn job and I let you live.”
Or I guess maybe that does happen and then those people get disappeared.
Have you heard that concept from sociology that the state, through its officials and representatives, holds exclusive rights to legitimately use violence?
In India, usually they don’t demand a bribe. They will process your file slowly, with the understanding that you can speed it up by bribing them.
From what I understand, Pakistan does not properly regulate weapons. But it would still be rather stupid to threaten a public servant. If you are that sort of person, smiling at the official and remarking on his good health might be a better idea. A less aggressive trick is to let them think that you are from the press / have a camera or microphone / have marked currency.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say taxation is robbery because it goes straight into libertarian bullshit, lunatics that cry at taxation but orgasm at rent and profiting off others’ work.
Still, some govts sure make it feel like that. My condolences on you having to deal with Milei now.
Cara, ni entra no perfil dele. Fica defendendo a Milei cada comentário. Uma pena que os argentinos não tem um termo como bolsominion pra os boludos seguidores dele.
Man, don’t get into his profile. He keeps defending Milei every comment. It’s a shame that the Argentines don’t have a term like bolsominion for his big followers.
Yes, I voted him, but to defend myself from the state. I don't think that, in the long-term, he's going to save our current crisis. In fact, I advocate for the complete abolishment of the state through agorism.
lunatics that cry at taxation but orgasm at rent and profiting off others’ work.
The former is only possible through institutional compulsion and coercion. The latter is through a voluntary contract that expresses the cooperation of both parties to work for each other, as they have a property interest in specific performance of the other.
Denying this process of voluntary exchange is, implicitly, denying the free will of the tenant and worker.
you kind of force people to enter into rent because they can’t afford houses and you control the rent however you want.
The landlords are providing a service to those who can't afford houses, and the tenants, through economic calculation, determine that it's better to pay for a department rather that saving for a house.
In fact, deficit spending, printing fiat money and manipulating interest rates harm savings and relative prices.
"If there seems to be a shortage of supply to meet an evident demand, then look to government as the cause of the problem."
The landlords are the reason people can’t afford houses. Housing should not be a market. Otherwise people make housing into commodity and thus oppose new developments. This kind of Nimbyism is why we can actually afford to house people but can’t.
Government is not some vague boogeyman that does work in vacuum. Lobbying has ruined any semblance of regulation. Landowners have a conflict of interest in the goal of housing everyone.
Do you believe no one can live outside the authority of the government?
Do you believe in theft and redistribution of wealth to fund their programs?
Do you believe a small oligarchy of politicians can best regulate the economy?
Do you believe a monopoly of fiat currency must be maintained?
Do you believe in using violence and force against those who disagree with you?
If yes, I think you should reconsider your position about who "deserve oxygen" and who does not.
The former is only possible through institutional compulsion and coercion.
You cannot enforce any contracts without some sort of coercitive force. If the person renting a home stops paying, the landlord will use force to evict the person. The only difference compared to the govt is size. You didn’t pay taxes? Here, lemme force you to stay in prison for a while, also here’s a fine on top of that.
The latter is through a voluntary contract that expresses the cooperation of both parties to work for each other, as they have a property interest in specific performance of the other
Not all contracts are voluntary and, more importantly, the workers are almost always the weaker party when it comes to negotiation. There’s a reason unions (whether they actually do their job is a different matter, let’s avoid that for now) and work regulations exist in civilized places, because otherwise, people will end up as slaves or almost slaves. If you leave it to the market to “self-regulate”, you’ll just get feudalism 2.0, where companies become the new noble houses, lording over their wageslaves (serfs and peasants), who should be grateful they’re allowed to work. Not to mention the constant bullshit of “if you work hard enough, you too can become a noble!”
Really, any sufficiently big company will act just like a govt, full of unnecessary bureaucracy
If the person renting a home stops paying, the landlord will use force to evict the person.
In this case, the force applied by the landlord is legimitate because the tenant is not performing their contractual obligations over the property of the landlord.
You didn’t pay taxes? Here, lemme force you to stay in prison for a while, also here’s a fine on top of that.
There is no contract between the government and citizen that legitimize the violence of the state. Any theory of a "social contract" will be unilateral by nature. Actually, the state itself is a threat to the Non-Agression Principle.
Not all contracts are voluntary and, more importantly, the workers are almost always the weaker party when it comes to negotiation.
The asymmetries of power between both parties does not mean the contract is not voluntary. In fact, any government intervention in the labor market will make this situation worse, as these encourage poverty and harm those workers who are the less productive in the market.
If you leave it to the market to “self-regulate”, you’ll just get feudalism 2.0, where companies become the new noble houses
As long as private property is not violated by institutional coercion; as long as the system of prices is not manipulated by any government policy; as long as human action and his natural rights are respected: social cooperation through the division of labor will flourish, as voluntary exchange is the source of economic progress.
Indeed, civilization itself is inconceivable in the absence of private property. Any encroachment on property results in loss of freedom and prosperity, as property is the only way to resolve conflicts by the existence of scarce resources.
The market is a process, not an "equilibrium model". It is not designed, but emerged from human action.
Really, any sufficiently big company will act just like a govt, full of unnecessary bureaucracy
The difference is that having market concentration does not mean being a monopoly. In fact, a monopoly is a government-grant privilege, for gaining legal rights to be a preferred producer is the only way to maintain a monopoly in a market setting.
The state can not have direct consumer feedback; it can not act economically. Instead, it collects taxes and spends them arbitrarily following interest groups.
"In a market economy, the range of quality, quantity, and type of goods and services correspond to social needs. These goods are services that are valued by consumers, and hence, they will be provided if it is economically feasible to do so relative to other social priorities."
The asymmetries of power between both parties does not mean the contract is not voluntary.
Asymmetries can get to a point that some contracts might as well be involuntary. Not to mention that those that have the power can and will abuse it. To think that a person whose choices are “begging on the streets” or “dealing with all sorts of abuse to ensure food safety and shelter” has any real choice is wishful thinking.
In fact, any government intervention in the labor market will make this situation worse, as these encourage poverty and harm those workers who are the less productive in the market.
Wrong. Badly written and badly implemented laws can encourage that. Any decent law that forces companies to abide by safety and health standards are protecting workers from injury and possibly the customers from disease. Women getting harassed by horny bosses shouldn’t be left to their own devices. Read that part about power asymmetry above. People with power will abuse their power. Laws should exist to ensure that they don’t.
The difference is that having market concentration does not mean being a monopoly. In fact, a monopoly is a government-grant privilege, for gaining legal rights to be a preferred producer is the only way to maintain a monopoly in a market setting.
Wrong. You can have monopolies without any state. There are natural monopolies, like water and sewage, or roads and railways, these latter two to a lesser extent. In a lot of places, there are de facto monopolies of services like electricity or internet connection, the latter even being parodied in a South Park episode. Also, without a state, it is easy for a big enough company to collude with others to ensure local monopolies (oligopoly), or for it to harass or simply buy out any competition. The state is the only thing that can force a monopoly or oligopoly to end.
As much as you complain about government violence and coercion, that’s the only thing allowing for any “healthy” capitalistic state to work. If you remove the state, then there’s nothing forcing anyone to follow any sort of law. Therefore, stealing is not a crime. Impersonation is not a crime. Bribes will become “personal tax”. As soon as a company has to pay a private security force to violently enforce what it wants, like the safety of its own resources, it acts no different from a state. Not to mention that there’s the real risk of any company that sells “protection through violence” to decide that they deserve more, bullying everyone for money because, hey, fuck you, I have the guns, whatcha gonna do? Call the police?
Keep in mind that price manipulation is not exclusive to govt’s. DeBeers controls the supply of mined diamonds, they set the price. A monopoly.
Anarchism can only realistically work when there’s only one person. As soon as there’s more than one, some sort of social structure is created. Capitalism depends on a state existing to ensure some sort of obedience to law and, if it doesn’t exist, companies will step in, one way or the other, always looking to ensure they maintain their own power, obviously. Which, again, is no different from a feudalistic state.
“In a market economy, the range of quality, quantity, and type of goods and services correspond to social needs. These goods are services that are valued by consumers, and hence, they will be provided if it is economically feasible to do so relative to other social priorities.”
Wishful thinking. In a market economy, it’s all about profit. If one can profit off cheap, plentiful stuff, they will. If there’s more profit to be made ignoring lower density areas, then they can go fuck themselves for not being profitable. “Dangerous” areas can also go fuck themselves for being too poor/dangerous to be profitable.
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