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But then Cost of living in other countries is much lesser in other countries. They do not pay that much on Rent, Health care, Transportation, College Education in foreign countries. Thats why stuff like branded clothes, electronics items are priced higher in foreign countries. In USA, people are burdened under debt because of Rent/mortgage, Student Loans, Car LOans, Insurance costs coupled with low wages and if consumer goods are priced higher-all businesses will go bust here.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mach234
i live in a big tourist city (miami) and we have so many tourists especially from south america that come here just to shop. they say its expensive to purchase name brands in their city, so when they come here they buy ALOT. is america the most inexpensive place to purchase name brand eletronics, clothing, etc?
They have high tariffs and we have significant subsidies.
Real simple cheap dollar relative to their home country. My European cousin bought all of her wedding dresses/bride gowns in America shipped to us, then reshipped to her. Savings of about 1k
Actually the dollar is up versus the Euro.
There are several reasons:
1) Taxation levels are higher elsewhere. Consider for a moment the costs of transportation as just one piece of the puzzle. Diesel costs in the United States are a fraction of that in the EU, and the difference is almost exclusively taxation.
2) Because the United States is, in effect, one enormous and unified marketplace, huge economies of scale come into play in terms of buying, distribution, and selling. The EU, while it has a larger population, has umpteen languages, local laws and customs, tastes, and other cultural impediments to achieving the same basic efficiencies. Yes, there are variations among the fifty states of the United States, but a Snickers bar in Hawaii is the same as a Snickers bar in Maine. Same package, same ingredients, same advertising.
3) I can't speak to Latin America, but the EU heavily regulates retailers in a host of ways. And some countries actually disallow putting items on sale.
4) For better or worse, labor laws in the EU impinge on the retailer's ability to staff in an efficient way.
Tourists come here to shop for cheap imported goods. Mexicans of course don't have to pay sales taxes on what they buy in the USA which makes it even cheaper for them to shop here.
What gave you that idea? Everyone that buys in a store pays the sales tax.
Tourists come here to shop for cheap imported goods. Mexicans of course don't have to pay sales taxes on what they buy in the USA which makes it even cheaper for them to shop here.
^^^
Quote:
Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE
What gave you that idea? Everyone that buys in a store pays the sales tax.
Apparently, malamute believes that those folks that jtur88's talking about!
^^^
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
What about all those people who loudly proclaim that illegal aliens don't pay any taxes. Are they lying?
And apparently Mexicans = illegal aliens in those people's narrow little minds.
But then Cost of living in other countries is much lesser in other countries. They do not pay that much on Rent, Health care, Transportation, College Education in foreign countries. Thats why stuff like branded clothes, electronics items are priced higher in foreign countries. In USA, people are burdened under debt because of Rent/mortgage, Student Loans, Car LOans, Insurance costs coupled with low wages and if consumer goods are priced higher-all businesses will go bust here.
The cost of living is not necessarily lower if you like the "amenities" that almost all Americans take for granted like paved roads, reliable electrical service, central heating/ac and sometimes both, running water, indoor plumbing, etc. In many parts of the world, those are luxuries you pay a lot more for even if you can get them (as in some places, even in big cities, don't count on electricity being a 24/7 thing).
In places where these "amenities" are taken for granted like they are in the US, such as Western Europe or Japan or Australia, the COL is just as high if not higher.
Go find your cheap foreign paradise where you can live as cheaply as the locals in a shack with a privy out back, a public water well with a hand pump in the center of town, and electricity about 10 hours a day if you're lucky. Enjoy.
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