Reply to: Stop cheating the tax man with your shopping trips to America!

[Mailman]

I was pulling TonyE'S tit.

XLMonkey said "the economists have been here before Mailman, and proved that the opposite is true - shopping in New York actually drives prices in the UK down, not up.

it's called Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage

humans are famous for not being able to understand it properly. Monkeys find it easy, as they only ever think about bananas."

Quick someone tell el gordo's henchmen they should be monkeys!

I of course agree fully with you and the economists who can understand this simple concept. Where's me banana!

Mailman

[expat]

the economists have been here before Mailman, and proved that the opposite is true - shopping in New York actually drives prices in the UK down, not up.

it's called Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage

humans are famous for not being able to understand it properly. Monkeys find it easy, as they only ever think about bananas.

Yes, that would be why sellers in the UK resist it, and manage to persuade the government that it's bad for business so they should stop it.

[XLMonkey]

the economists have been here before Mailman, and proved that the opposite is true - shopping in New York actually drives prices in the UK down, not up.

it's called Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage

humans are famous for not being able to understand it properly. Monkeys find it easy, as they only ever think about bananas.

[Mailman]

Things like cameras have region specific serial codes on them. Id assume that big f8ck off 20foot plasma in your carryon backage will also be picked up by HMC!

Mailman

[BoredBloke]

So long as you don't take the pi5s I find it difficult for the customs people to get you on this. How do they know you didn't buy the stuff in the UK before you went on holiday - All you have to do is remove all the packaging etc and pack it as normal.

I know a guy who used to take a guitar bag with him when he went to the US. Then he would buy an expensive guitar and travel back with it. He would then flog it in the UK. If he got stopped he would simply say he bought it in the UK before he went.

[Mailman]

Nice piece of woolly thinking there, Mailman. How do you know that I wouldn't buy something if the price were higher?

Oh yes I forget you are a high paid contractor!

Mailman

[bobhope]

"All your money belong to us"

I don't know why people persist with the idea that it's their money, when it's obviously not

[expat]

[i]in reply to expat[i]
Absolute chicken pox! You arent making any market smaller because in all likelyhood if it was so expensive here in Blighty you most likely would never have bought it in the first place.

But this wooly thinking ....
Mailman

Nice piece of woolly thinking there, Mailman. How do you know that I wouldn't buy something if the price were higher?

[vetran]

If its cheaper

Easy solution make it cheaper in the UK

[Mailman]

There is a fine line between being creative and being dodgy!

Mailman

[Bagpuss]

Haha...you must just be dodgy. Im for ever sending stuff out there and have not once been hit with a tax bill (or been told about a tax bill being received by the people stuff was sent to).

Then again I guess its only fair. After all, El Gordo taxes you when you return so its only right Uncle Sam does the same to you!

Mailman

Obviously you are the Dodgy one becuse having worked for a shipping company I can assure you they levy UK good with very heavy taxes

[Mailman]

Haha...you must just be dodgy. Im for ever sending stuff out there and have not once been hit with a tax bill (or been told about a tax bill being received by the people stuff was sent to).

Then again I guess its only fair. After all, El Gordo taxes you when you return so its only right Uncle Sam does the same to you!

Mailman

[Bagpuss]

Try sending anything to america without it getting hit with US tax, Earth to Mailman, they don't want free trade and never have.

[Mailman]

Interesting. Why should HMG get any tax revenue from it? That assumes that VAT is not a tax on value added, but simply a tax on your money, and it is wrong to spend it in a way that does not come into the normal collection method.

i.e. all your money is belong to us.

HMG shouldnt get any revenue from it simply because you have already paid tax on the item in the place of purchase.

Wasnt there some case a while ago where some geezer took El Gordo to court over this very matter?

And yes, if anything the "allowance" should be raised to £1000 for every country...if not scrapped altogether.

Mailman

[Mailman]

[i]in reply to expat[i]
Absolute chicken pox! You arent making any market smaller because in all likelyhood if it was so expensive here in Blighty you most likely would never have bought it in the first place.

But this wooly thinking ignores the fact you probably spent money on an English travel company to buy your plane ticket (£400-£600pp, which a large proportion of that would go back to the government via their lovely little extortion racket called taxes), most likely paid for your hotel through an english online hotel company, bought food and so on at the airport, not to mentioned paid for the right to use public transport to get out there or paid for parking (lets not even factor in the petrol you paid for in your car).

So either way, no one missed out. In fact if you think about it seems the tax man is doing quite nicely out of people travelling since they can get more out of you than if you just bought your diamond studded dog collar in your local high street.

Phew.......

Mailman