Theft.

Posted on March 13, 2015 by KG

NZ:
‘Online shoppers could soon be paying GST (tax) on more internet purchases.
…The Retailers Association would welcome a change…’
I bet the bastards would “welcome a change”. So would their cronies in government.
Retailers are constantly whining about how online shopping is damaging their businesses, but in the last two weeks I’ve had to deal with telebimbos who know nothing, blank stares when asking for an internationally-known, well established product and several companies who simply didn’t bother to ‘phone me back as promised. Not to mention being lied to and told a certain product is “no longer made” simply because the retailer didn’t stock it. Now the slack bastards want the government to help force people to shop locally. Suddenly protectionism is ok when it suits government and businesses.Much easier than lifting their own game, eh?
Well, wherever possible I will NOT shop locally. At least when shopping online I get far better service.

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43 Responses to Theft.

  1. nominto says:
    March 14, 2015 at 00:37

    been buying online for years[~1999]..no brainer : a starter motor for a rideon mower..USD$110 + $30 freight ..ok…locally :same unit NZD$750! [yes – $750]..or repair it : price NZD$540
    Yes I just love that response that the item “isn’t made anymore”… absolutely amusing in this day and age particularly when the last idiot said that just as I just downloaded the item for sale online on my phone..[particular style of combination padlock]..
    or probably more to the point – it isn’t just the money -the local retailers won’t stock decent stuff..eg/. decent workboots , clothing that fits “me”…I don’t like the clothing here ..either you look like a rapster or some poncey yuppie..[the irony it is made in China,Mexico or Asia anyway]

    • KG says:
      March 14, 2015 at 06:15

      An NZ company could import the starter motor, charge three times what it cost them and still make a handsome profit. What we’re
      looking at with that $750 price tag is naked greed. :evil:
      And there’s a lot of that around.

  2. Warren Tooley says:
    March 14, 2015 at 01:08

    Just so that you are aware, a seller only needs to pay GST, if sales are at least $60,000 per yearhttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_wacko.gif. If less then this no GST paid or charged.http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_bye.gif

  3. Darin says:
    March 14, 2015 at 01:53

    Where I work we do a lot of things.We have a machine shop and a fabrication shop,but we also have an industrial supply division and a retail sales store front.We have 3/4 of a city block of buildings stuffed with inventory,over 20,ooo unique items in inventory.Everything from a $.10 M6 bolt to a $4,000 air compressor.

    If a customer comes in or calls we can give them a direct answer as to our inventory.If we don’t have it we offer to order it in for them and of the items we stock we are always looking for a better source for it.

    If what the customer wants isn’t available or the cost is unreasonable we have the option of fabricating it.If we can’t do it in house we have agreements with paint shops,laser and waterjet cutters,sheet metal and piping fabricators and foundries to get what we need done.The entire reason for this is SERVICE TO THE CUSTOMER.

    As to the tax issue,I am a firm believer in Ayn Rand’s concept that the government should be totally divorced from business and the economy.Let there be a law requiring a separation of economy and state and the world as a whole will be better off.The only tax collected by any government should be sales tax at the point of sale.Don’t tax the creation of wealth,tax the enjoyment of wealth.

    • Warren Tooley says:
      March 14, 2015 at 10:19

      With you there Darin. The original US constitution only allowed for 3 taxes. Tax on state made goods, tax on imported goods and tax on property. While only those 3 taxes existed, their were surpluses except in war years. Now look at the debt. And the 2nd and 5th plank of the communist manifesto says income tax and central banking. Ever since those two came into the US, their have been deficits in almost every year. Partly cause the government can spend recklessly, cause they will get it back with income tax.

      Now Ayn Rand, is that from the book ‘Atlas Shrugged’, if not can you remember what the book is called.

    • Wombat says:
      March 14, 2015 at 10:51

      Still don’t work.

      Who collects the tax? Who polices tax evasion? Who controls them both?

      A man who pays his taxes cannot compete with a man who doesn’t, and if the man who doesn’t is under the protection of the state then he will soon have 100% of the market place.

      Place a man in a position to pick a winner and it’s only a matter of time until corruption becomes an arms race to the bottom of morality.

      • Warren Tooley says:
        March 14, 2015 at 12:00

        Wombat, there is a thing called pure trust organisations. And they are set up partly to avoid or minimise taxes, and divorce settlements etc. But that’s only applicable to income. Sales tax cannot be avoided, you can’t use legal loopholes. That’s why I’m in favour of raising other taxes and eliminating income tax, or as close to it as possible.

        • The Gantt Guy says:
          March 14, 2015 at 12:44

          You lost me at “…raising other taxes…”

          Sales tax, and sales tax alone. A very small one. Reduce the size of government to fit. Close down departments, stop funding qangoes and NGOs. Stop giving foreign aid to third-world tyrannies.

          The government should be small, poor and confined to core responsibilities.

          • Warren Tooley says:
            March 14, 2015 at 14:05

            Gantt, to give you a bit more context, the US government at first only allowed three taxes, property, tax on domestic goods, tax on imports, and in every year that their were no wars, their was a surplus.

            Now, an economist found that when they did bring income tax into the USA, the higher the income tax , the lower the tariff tax and vice versa.

            So what I’m simply saying, is how bout no income tax, and other taxes get raised. Because the simple fact of the matter is the rich people use trusts, to minimise or avoid taxes. And the poor pay hardly any income tax. So rather than the middle class paying the most, lets be fair and collect none of it from income tax. Or in the case where that is not possible, keep it to maybe 10%, cause no one will bother avoiding it, if its just 10%. Trusts cost money to set up and administer, so it won’t be worth it for at least some people if its just 10%.

            • Wombat says:
              March 14, 2015 at 14:49

              Sorry, but it all leads down the same road.

              “Just a little bit more and we can ensure that blahdeeblahblahblah…”

              Minarchists and anarchists can take heart that both will be working in the same direction for the forseeable future, but government is, and always has been, the great lie by which everybody attempts to live at the expense of everyone else.

              • Wombat says:
                March 14, 2015 at 14:59

                You want a genuine blend of nationalism and capitalism?

                A person gets one vote per 10,000 dollars they’ve earned and declared in the private sector (rounded down).

                As far as the detestable act of governance goes, that’s about as pure a system as you’ll ever find.

                There is no fixing what we have now. It WILL fall in a heap. The only question is what’s put up in its place, if anything at all.

              • Warren Tooley says:
                March 14, 2015 at 15:06

                Wombat, I don’t like new taxes. That’s why I’d like it if they could finally say, these are all the taxes allowed. No more taxes then this. The US only allowed tax on imported goods, domestic made goods, and property, and while their were no wars they had a surplus. If they could have just stuck to these taxes, and only these taxes we wouldn’t be in the jam we’re in.

                And income tax is the worst of all. Why can people who lend to governments know they will be repaid? Cause that extra war expenditure for the armaments maker, that extra for welfare means some people have a little more money in their pocket for now. So they can spend extra, because those who have the most will pay that extra tax at the highest rate. And then you have people finding loopholes, so they have to raise the tax even higher.

                If you look at global/world debt clock you will see how much each country owes, and how much tax they collect. You do this before you lend.

                And those who file a business income tax return, are told before they sign that the information will go to everybody we have an international treaty with. This means those who lend, have a right to know how much income tax has been collected.

                And again, trusts don’t protect from sales tax, but they can be used to minimise income tax.

                • Wombat says:
                  March 14, 2015 at 15:24

                  Again, unless your system of voting is inextricably tied to your system of taxation then whatever utopia you create will be trampled underfoot by porkbarreling politicians. But don’t worry, they won’t give you new taxes. Instead you’ll be getting an endless array of “levies”, “fees” and “stamp duties”.

            • The Gantt Guy says:
              March 14, 2015 at 16:26

              They were wrong. There should be no envy taxes. Income, property, death. All simple envy.

              The only truly equitable tax is a sales tax. And, it should be small. Anything else is too easy to avoid, and too tempting for politicians to use for corrupt purposes.

        • Darin says:
          March 14, 2015 at 13:20

          Exactly right GG,I would add only tax mass produced consumer goods.Leave the craftsman and the tradesmen alone,those that use their hands and intellect to earn their living.

          • Darin says:
            March 14, 2015 at 13:30

            Exactly right Warren,the other problem with socialism is that in theory everyone pays into the system and everyone benefits.That never occurs however as there are always protected groups who are sheltered from paying by the powers that be.Certainly the poor and always the politically connected.Thus the single largest percentage of lobbying groups in Washington are the tax lobbyists.

            Ayn Rand produced a number of books,Atlas Shrugged being one of them.There are number of public talks and interviews posted on Youtube that are worth watching.I don’t necessarily agree with her views on religion,but her views on economics,the role of government and individualism are spot on IMO.

            Here is a link to the first in a series where she appeared on the Phil Donahue show back in 79′-

            https://youtu.be/bx-LpRSbbeA

            The Atlas Shrugged novel was recently condensed and put out as a movie trilogy and is available on Amazon and Netflix.

            • Warren Tooley says:
              March 14, 2015 at 14:54

              Thanks Darin, What I know about ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is it is in a novel form of how Western Civilization can be destroyed. :shock: The person who said this was an ex-elitist who was at the top of the New World Order, and decided to come out of it, and he told everybody about what was happening. And he said that book was written for the elite on how to destroy civilization, so that they could rebuild society :sad: . The USSR flag has a sickle and a hammer. The sickle means to tear down, and then rebuild with the hammer according to Jordan Maxwell.

              And the communist manifesto is where income tax became popular. So I was seeing if their is a connection between Ayn Rand saying sales tax only, and the communist manifesto and now I know.

              I’ve bought the ebook but that will take a hell of a time to read, so I might just get the You tube or movie version. So thanks for your input. Oh, and EAD, a friend of redbaiter has also referred to Ayn Rand in his comment about using gold and silver, and how this paper money is inferior. So now I know that I need to read it, or something similiar.

              If you don’t agree with what they’re saying about religion, don’t forget it was written for the elite.

          • The Gantt Guy says:
            March 14, 2015 at 16:33

            http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gif

            • Darin says:
              March 14, 2015 at 17:23

              Ayn Rand’s position on taxes was very simple,she believed that no government had the right to take anything by force.Not your labor,not your money and not your life.Free men operating in a free society will see the need and provide these things willingly on the basis of it being in their own self interest to do so.

              I have no problem paying taxes to fund a strong military,local police and fire protection.All those things serve my interests and allow me a greater measure of freedom.What I do have a problem with is any government that seeks to regulate my labor,erect hurdles and barriers to my achieving success and then take from me by force the product of my labor and give it to someone who hasn’t earned it,doesn’t appreciate it and still demands even more.The final insult is when a government does all that and then fails miserably in fulfilling its basic responsibilities.

              • The Gantt Guy says:
                March 14, 2015 at 17:43

                http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gifhttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gifhttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gifhttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gifhttp://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_good.gif

              • Wombat says:
                March 14, 2015 at 18:03

                I would add that free men operating in a free society tend to take on those roles for themselves rather than hire some fat, lazy over-entitled buffoon with a self-worship syndrome.

                • Darin says:
                  March 14, 2015 at 18:14

                  You mean free men operating in a free society would never allow public sector unions ;-)

                • Wombat says:
                  March 14, 2015 at 19:33

                  Unfortunately banning unions flies in the face of freedom of association and freedom in general. Even a-holes get to be free.

                  Of course, unions would have a hard time getting traction in a truly free market. The guilds of old would probably be the best example, but they were no worse than the monarchs of the time.

                  These days with freedom of information and easy access to manufacturing materials it’s a whole different ball game.

              • Warren Tooley says:
                March 14, 2015 at 20:42

                Thanks Darin, this is definitely worth my time looking at. The ex-elitist his name is John Todd. I’ve investigated some of the elitist material he’s talked about, and he seems to be right on the button. Now of course, wikipedia says he was a really horrible man, but that’s cause he exposed these people. So now, that I’ve got your take on it, I’ll be seeing just how accurate/inaccurate he is. It was written for the elite on how to destroy a civilization, which seems to be somewhat different then your take. I’m not critisizing you, or saying your wrong, I just need to investigate this, for myself.

                • Darin says:
                  March 15, 2015 at 02:27

                  Todd was another Jim Jones IMO,he just never went so far as wash tubs full of koolaid.
                  Rand’s books and philosophy are not a blueprint for the elite to take over anything.She was born in Russia before the revolution and later immigrated to the US.She had firsthand experience in what happens when leftists/marxist begin using altruism as a tool to convince free people to enslave themselves to a totalitarian political system.She tried to warn us and many of her writings were very prophetic in detailing what we are seeing now.

  4. Flashman says:
    March 14, 2015 at 06:18

    High street retailers remind me of dinosaurs looking miserably up at an ever-darker sky. To meet many of them face-to-face is to explore bitter and twisted negative anger.

    The simple fact is they can’t compete with on-line shopping and big-box retailers, hence their Luddite (the government must do something!) attitude. Of course the smart ones have either re-jigged their business models…or closed down and quit the shrinking mud pool.

    • KG says:
      March 14, 2015 at 06:29

      I’m very sympathetic towards small businesses and would much prefer to shop locally and support them, Flashy. But that support should be a two-way deal.

      • Flashman says:
        March 14, 2015 at 13:50

        I agree, KG. Since I’ve lived in small towns and cities for most of my life, “support local” and “spread the dosh around” have been personal mantras for almost as long as I can remember.

        However that started to change when my business development work took me up close to many struggling retailers.

        Seriously, most of them are their own worst enemies: stuck in denial over a business model that offers no effective counter to online competitors.

        Angry and bitter, they’re some of the most reactionary and unpleasant people you could ever wish to meet.

        You can’t tell ’em that the customer doesn’t owe them a living or that “friendly personal service” is no substitute for limited product ranges and high fixed costs (aka) uncompetitive prices. Like I’ve said, the smart cookies read the tea-leaves and bailed or changed years ago. But now that the lid is sinking onto the hold-outs, the squealing is sure to get ever-louder.

        • Wombat says:
          March 14, 2015 at 15:16

          It’s worse than that.

          Much of the time their prices are just astronomical. How can any business owner justify buying the same product as the online one, brand and all, and marking it up 400 percent?

          Many of our local gun shops are terrible for this. I can buy ammunition from a store interstate, wear the outrageous postage for dangerous goods, and still come out ahead compared to buying locally.

          They even manage to sell batteries at a higher price than my local (read yokel) hardware store.

          Many of them deserve what they get, but first they’ll bleat for a tax on eBay, and that’s music to the ears of the government.

          • KG says:
            March 14, 2015 at 16:19

            As an example, my beloved wanted a candlewick bedspread recently. Prices in NZ ranged from $3oo to over $700. She ordered one from the States which took around ten days to arrive.
            High quality, $148 including freight. :shock:
            Yep, Wombat. I pay $12 /25 for Remington .22 ammo locally, yet I can buy the same ammo online for $50/525 rounds.

          • Warren Tooley says:
            March 14, 2015 at 20:36

            In my day double was fair. My dad is an author, and did not like the idea of tripling the price. Anyhow, with this whole online stuff, I expect their will be less and less retailers and service providers. And I expect the people who can create new goods will be the winners.

  5. Brown says:
    March 14, 2015 at 09:20

    I support local businesses (with those I support being helpful, discount minded and friendly) but concede the on line option is OK for some things. I see people whining about a trivial difference between retailers and on line options. High street retailers can’t compete on price and its bullshit to claim that people will pay for service – they won’t. Its just expected when they can moan to your face and reluctantly conceded when the supplier is on the other side of the world.

    My most frequented discretionary retailer (technical books) closed last year because after many years he was not making a buck despite working hard. No more local book launches for local authors. He said Amazon was buying market share and retailing at well below the cost from publishers – you can’t compete with that or that on line was always 12.5% cheaper. People browsed his well stocked shelves and photographed the book to order on line later. Some of those pricks expressed condolences when he closed – he knew who they were and called them out because it no longer mattered. The good customers paid the usual price despite the pre closing sales to get rid of stock. Friends will do that.

    Haven’t bought a “technical” book since he closed.

    I have a few tools like chainsaws and the local retailer says people are buying on line but the specs are different to NZ models. That makes servicing an issue and downtime for commercial users is hardly cost effective. Other hobby retailers I use decline to service or repair on line purchases unless it suits them – warranty issues need to be referred to the supplier. I think that’s fair enough. These retailers, whom I know well, are not making an living.

    • KG says:
      March 14, 2015 at 16:21

      “I see people whining about a trivial difference between retailers and on line options.”
      I’m not whining about trivial differences, Brown. The difference is often huge.

    • Warren Tooley says:
      March 14, 2015 at 20:54

      Brown, one of my concerns is just how digital we’ve gone. Yeah, a kindle book is cheaper, but what if the elite want to change some of the books. And even the books on amazon selling for a dollar, will charge $20 in postage, for a paperback. People younger than me only want kindle books. People much older then me want paperbacks only. Meanwhile I’ll buy a paperback if the price is less then double as to a kindle. I know what’s superior quality and what’s cheaper.

      One book I’ve been reading is a book by Daniel W. Daniels as he explains that some of the modern bibles have completely changed. For instance in one bible it says that after Jesus died he became the Son of God. Not before, after. So when people say do you have your bible on kindle, when I hear people quote verses from their apps I get really worried. If anyone thinks I’m making this up look up ‘is your bible missing something’ on you tube.

      In the book I have read, it shows how much of a foothold catholics have. And that each church denomination has to be involved in bible translation, this is by someone who has lived as a translator. By the way the David E Robinson books that I told you about on the conservative blog are all paperback. (Brown and I had a discussion about something 6 months ago).

  6. Darin says:
    March 14, 2015 at 13:48

    If you want to see something neat,checkout McMaster-Carr

    http://www.mcmaster.com/

    Probably the largest industrial supplier in the US.They advertise 555,000 products in inventory and they mean it.Their entire focus is on customer satisfaction and delivery.I can call,or order online by 5:00 pm and have what I have ordered in my hand by 3:00 pm the following day from their Atlanta,Ga location.20 seconds after placing the order it’s sent to the warehouse and is being pulled and shipped it is the pinnacle of free enterprise business.