Don't you people have 200% tax rate on automobiles?

When they had such rates in South America like in Brazil the black market was taking over. Brazil had 200% tax rates on imported automobiles in the seventies. Everybody but the diplomats were driving brazilian made VWs. Cab drivers had VWs with the passager front seat removed.

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A couple of years ago I decided to purchase 2 Janis Ian CD's that I'd like in my collection. Unfortunately, I could only buy them on her website or on Amazon.com in the states. They were under no circumstances for sale in Europe. They were around $14 or $15 each. Expensive, but what the heck I thought, lemme have them! They arrived at my post office, and attached to them was a toll/VAT bill, bringing the price up to more than (hold on to your hat!) $50 each!!!

My protests were ignored, but since I wanted the damn CD's I payed the outrageous amount of money.

Never again will I buy music in the US!!! Why do us Danes have to suffer such a ridiculous tax-rate? I am angry!

If you stab yourself half to death as a form of protest, at least the hospital visit will be relatively free.

Sorry to hear about your experience Freako. I regularly order CDs through amazon.com (although mostly bought from 'marketplace sellers') for delivery to Sweden and have never had to pay additional tax or duty for single discs, even when the contents have been declared at their full value. This is interestingly not true of most vinyl pressings I have ordered from Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds etc., when I have almost invariably had to pay tax and duty.

There is one thing to watch out for, however, when buying discs from amazon.co.uk (but not it would seem from amazon.com) for delivery abroad. The price is revised at check-out, presumably to take account of local VAT. For instance, Ren

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A couple of years ago I decided to purchase 2 Janis Ian CD's that I'd like in my collection. Unfortunately, I could only buy them on her website or on Amazon.com in the states. They were under no circumstances for sale in Europe. They were around $14 or $15 each. Expensive, but what the heck I thought, lemme have them! They arrived at my post office, and attached to them was a toll/VAT bill, bringing the price up to more than (hold on to your hat!) $50 each!!!

My protests were ignored, but since I wanted the damn CD's I payed the outrageous amount of money.

Never again will I buy music in the US!!! Why do us Danes have to suffer such a ridiculous tax-rate? I am angry!

If you stab yourself half to death as a form of protest, at least the hospital visit will be relatively free.

And therein lies the tradeoff. We have cheap CDs but expensive healthcare.

That's a tough choice

Having lived in the UK for a 30+ years and the US for 10 + lets make it clear that there is nothing cheap about Europes healthcare, you are taxed everywhere you turn, 40 % income tax, 17.5 % VAT, 10% car tax, Road tax, 500% petrol tax, $300 a year TV tax, etc etc

I estimate that in the US i have between 2 and 3 times the spending power of the same salary/job in the UK.

Eurpoe has culture and history but economically its fucked !!

Alan

The most controversials are the petrol tax and the 25% restaurant tax like in france, on the other hand it fostered the developement of small economical cars. They should raise somewhat the gas tax in the US to finance health care and other projects. The Federal Government is not doing enough. This country is derelict in so many ways compared to Europe. What I hate the most here are gated comunities patrolled by security men. You literally step outside and you stumble upon a pile of garbage and buildings in ruins like after a war or something.

As for audio you can tell of the buying power of people living in Europe just by looking at the pathetic pictures of reader's systems in Hi-Fi News.

Gross

Have you ever lived in Europe ?

I lived in France, in the UK, Belgium, Asia, North and West Africa (Moroco, Senegal), South (Brazil) and North America. As a kid and as an adult. I used to be fluent in Japanese where two of my sisters were born.

Went to Brazil after boarding the Gulio Cesare in Genoa, Italy, a two weeks trip in 1966 before the cheap cruises. An Italian Contessa was slipping each nigh with a different officer. They were so busy with her that we ended up being one full day late in Rio. I have since a long lasting love for good Italian food. French food can get complicated but I don't know of any kid who doesn't like Italian food.

We went to Japan by boat,too, a four weeks trip by the Canal de Suez with stops in Hong Kong and Shangai. The kid in Steven Spielberg "Empire of The Sun" in Shangai, it is me. I don't know how he got it so right.

From experience I can say the Brits are pretty much like the Americans: they speak only one language, eat only one kind of food, and generally understand only one culture: theirs.

A "Tea Party" was initiated here in Boston a few years back for just the same nonsense. Most of these acts were called the "Intolerable Acts" .

You can always spot them walking in Paris. Their legs never work in tandem; one goes in one direction, the other in an other direction. Then those shoes! Size 45 and up. First job of an american secret agent posted in Europe would be to change shoes as he get off the plane and then to learn to walk in an orderly fashion.

Oh and remember about hand signals in Germany if you are a spy: don't raise your index to order one beer in Germany because they will bring you two. The thumb means one, the index is two and the middle finguer means three in German.

You must have visited a lot of different places to me.

The UK is dirty and expensive

Italy is dirty and expensive

Denmark/Germany are clean but very expensive

US is generally clean and inexpensive

If you want to make the US more like Eurpoe then you must be a liberal, i also live in chicgao and it is far superior for my tatse to just about any city in the world, thats a bias opinion granted but i have travelled and worked in over 60 countries and I prefer Chicago to any of them.

Im not a typical brit who thinks the UK is great, im a brit who got the fuck out because it sucked. Although parts of Europe are nice I would not want to live there due to the crushing cost of living. Riding a moped and eating canned food as an engineer is not my idea of fun.

Culture is a great thing but ill take a nice car, big TV, great hifi, affordable goods etc over culture any day. If that makes me an asshole so be it, wont be teh first time on here !!

Alan

I am not talking about visiting.
I am talking about spending at least three years and more in those countries.

I take it that you never lived in France. France is different of course.

Do you know that the French flag used to be white like the Pope's flag whith just one excentric fleur de lis in the middle, advertising our cleanliness inside out.

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You can always spot them walking in Paris. Their legs never work in tandem; one goes in one direction, the other in an other direction.

Ah, yes, the French have a better sense of balance, after all, they keep electing Sarcoz'y, eh?

Always avoided France

I found the biggest problem with France is that a lot of French people live there.

The French make some good but over priced wine, some OK bread and then it goes downhill rapidly !!

French Cheese, No thanks

French cars HA HA HA HA

Alan

It is the first time he was elected President.
And yes he is a big improvement upon all the elite civil servants who were in power for years before him, including Chirac.
He is down to earth, practical, and yes lovable. He has the best looking wife of any french President before and after him. He will be reelected.

ha ha ha ha

You don't have an automobile industry anymore in the UK
Jaguar sold, Mini sold, Aston Martin sold, Rolls sold..
You drive Peugeots in the UK for Christ sake

For wines I have been drinking cabernet for years and I love them. I would not buy a french wine in the US, especially the ones under $100.00 a bottle.
For cheese you just don't know what you are talking about.

You are not a typical English, a Welsh which is a step down.. Your elite has taken its vacations in France for years. In the summer time you could see them driving their Bentleys immediately followed by a Landrover carrying the butler and the silverware to the South of france, sometimes going just to a camping spot on the riviera. There they would drink and eat cheese and bread until passing out every day.

You must have never gone farther than Brighton yourself.

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and the middle finguer means three in German.

Three you, herr Grosse!

I set up an easy one for you.

"Will The Highways On The Internet Become More Few?"
G W Bush

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You don't have an automobile industry anymore in the UK

Don't forget F1!

Look, they are pathetic
I owned an Aston Martin
I loved everything British, cars, shoes, custom suits, les petites anglaises..
It was a time, especially just after WWII when the continent was ravaged when the UK had everything.
You could smell money and power whenever you travelled there.
It is all gone.

"One Of The Great Things About Books Is, Sometimes There Are Some Fantastic Pictures."
G W Bush

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Look,they are pathetic

You are still overlooking F!

No.
It is 100% Bush

"Low Voter Turnout Is an Indication Of Fewer People Going To The polls."
G W Bush

Your baiting the wrong guy about the UK, i agree with most of what you say, with the exception of cheese. Creamy french tasteless crap Brie or a tasty strong mature cheddar ? no contest for a man. Maybe the girlie men in France like that shit but not me.

Your also wasting your time attacking the Welsh, i am proud to be Welsh but we are a miserable complaining people, very similar to the French in that respect !! except when we get attacked/invaded we dont just surrender !!! in fact its been a long time since anyone fucked with the Welsh.

In terms of cars and in fact engineering generally the Brits were without doubt World leaders but they got complacent and pissed away everything, in a way you can see the same complacency in the US right now. The difference in the Automobile industry is that the UK did lead at one time

"In terms of cars" we had Jags in the family and every one of them had problems. The accelerator in one Jag had to be operated with a rope attached to it to pull it back to stop accelerating. Here is remedy for Toyota owners.

We have so much more than Brie cheese (maybe 400 cheeses, hard, soft, whatever) but first of all the only good Brie is the Brie de Meaux which is not pasteutized. It has to be purchased when it is not creamy inside which is impossible at exportation. As such it is delicious. I love cheddar between meals as a snack with a glass of wine, not after a meal like french cheese. You don't use bread with cheddar.

In Rugby the French beat the Welsh anytime.

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"In terms of cars" we had Jags in the family and every one of them had problems. The accelerator in one Jag had to be operated with a rope attached to it to pull it back to stop accelerating.

No mention of "Lucas, Prince of Darkness"?

There will never in world sport be a team like the 70,s Welsh rugby team. True amateurs playing at a world class level just for the love of the game, that innocence has gone from sport forever, replaced by the current crop of mercenary bastards in just about all sports.

Dont forget your the ones who cheated Ireland !!!

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There will never in world sport be a team like the 70,s Welsh rugby team. True amateurs playing at a world class level just for the love of the game, that innocence has gone from sport forever, replaced by the current crop of mercenary bastards in just about all sports.

Dont forget your the ones who cheated Ireland !!!

You mean the corporate and banking backers of the EU?

No

Thierre Henry, the cheating frog !!

For the Americans, an explanation !!

The Soccer world cup qualifying came down to a play off between France and Ireland, well the winning goal was a deliberate handball by Thierre Henry, he cheated. He never owned up to the officials. This is a big big deal in soccer terms.

It is known as the " Hand of Frog " goal, a playoff of the famous hand of god goal scored by Maradonna to beat England.

France are now one of the most despised teams in world football.

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..France are now one of the most despised teams in world football.

Despised?

Those girlie frenchmen are playing all over the place in your clubs when they are not playing for France.

Besides I like to be despised myself. It reminds me that I am just 99% perfect. My knees are weak. My back is in shambles. My brain is like Brie de Meaux but other than that I am OK.

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..France are now one of the most despised teams in world football.

Despised?

Those girlie frenchmen are playing all over the place in your clubs when they are not playing for France.

Are you guys figthing over France, the world's newest Muslim nation?

(Hey, it's not like the French guys can take charge of increasing the population. Hence, they surrendered to the Muslims who are capable of such things.)

The French are still trying to find new ways to lose the Crusades, 900 years later.

They never seem to get tired of losing wars.

Maybe they can convince their new Moorish lords to incorporate some French technique in the new national Middle Eastern cuisine.

I mean, France lost a war with Algeria, for crying out loud.

Hell, they had to cheat to get into the World Cup.

This is as brilliant and funny as everything G W Bush ever said about reading books and low turnout voters.

We all know Bush wasnt the sharpest tool in the box sometimes but id much rather have him next to me in the trenches than any French leader !! at least we would fight the enemy !!

Yeah right the way the US electorate shot himself in the foot twice after it elected him certainly warrants your comment. We are all paying the bill, including the Welsh. As long as you people gets your tax credit and don't have to pay for universal health care, you don't mind to bring the world to its knees.

Apres moi le deluge, this is the motto of the american right. This is their political philosophy.

Plus the fact that the enemy was in Afghanistan, not in Iran really. You can't even shoot straight. Your tongue is split and venomous.

An other quote from your favorite state man:

"It's No Exaggeration To Say That The Undecideds Could Go One Way Or Another."
G W Bush

Thanks Freako!
Look those hillbillies could not even put Paris on the map.

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Are you guys figthing over France, the world's newest Muslim nation?

(Hey, it's not like the French guys can take charge of increasing the population. Hence, they surrendered to the Muslims who are capable of such things.)

The French are still trying to find new ways to lose the Crusades, 900 years later.

They never seem to get tired of losing wars.

Maybe they can convince their new Moorish lords to incorporate some French technique in the new national Middle Eastern cuisine.

I mean, France lost a war with Algeria, for crying out loud.

Hell, they had to cheat to get into the World Cup.

I nominate this for best off-topic post in the Stereophile forum ever. Buddha, you should see if Lewis Black needs a writer. Absolutely brilliant.

Freako

See that makes sense, the French are world handball champions, just ask the Irish !!!

Alan

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Thanks Freako!
Look those hillbillies could not even put Paris on the map.

Didn't need a map- just followed the German panzers.

hu hu hu hu hu hu
(very funny in high circles)

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Struts: I buy my records mostly from Amazon.co.uk too (often marketplace sellers), but I never see those audiophile vinyls that the dudes on this forum always rant about... I guess we are a little behind in Dk

You are a little behind in DK, but that's not the issue right now .

I don't know about Denmark but there is a great source of audiophile vinyl just down the road from me in Stockholm, Vinylbutiken. Their prices are very reasonable when you take account of Swedish VAT, especially when you compare to the postage plus import duty-loaded alternative. Good selection and good service, I can certainly recommend them.