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You americans are soooo lucky

#41
joelb79 said:
The news blows everything out of proportion. Your house will not be underwater.

However, I do fail to recognize how the taxes that we pay which are percentage based on gas/petrol are making American more fuel efficient?! Were just footing the bill for whatever the politicians think we need to pay for. I never see how a government taking money from us benefits ANYBODY!!!!!

That being said.. political/religious threads on TB are kinda.. well frowned on. We should move onto topic. ;)
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I hate it when American's complain about gas prices. Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, you have the lowest gas prices. I pay about $4.50 a gallon US for gas here in Canada. That is half of what someone in the UK pays and in other parts of Europe is can close in on $13-15 US a Gallon. You have gas prices easy.

lowsound
 
#44
Europe is expensive , not only basses but everything, I have been many times in Europe for business and is unbelivable , as an example I paid $ 120 usd for a beer and a sushi roll in Moscow, 600 usd per night for a room , same in UK is really expensive, hotels, taxis. I love Europe but living cost is something that I can not affoard.
 
#45
Greyvagabond said:
Off topic, but taxes on gas/petrol is the only effective way of increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing gas/petrol use. Think of it as paying for nice clean air, and the fact that my house (which is ON the Atlantic) won't be covered in water this century!
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So how would the taxes be used? Would they be given to energy companies to finance "green" R&D? Are you willing to pay the price at the pump for a significant amount of "green" R&D? The Chevy Equinox (hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle, zero emissions) cost $1BILLION to develop. Are you willing to finance this development?

Or, in typical government / tax fashion, would they go to support something else (likely a social cause), and we'd still be driving the same style cars & consuming just as much?
 
#47
In South Africa we're not that badly off. We get basses (and guitars) from the USA duty free - just have to pay for shipping - unless you're a dealer. Crazy thing is, if I want to import a decent flight case, I have to pay 35% tax plus shipping - unless (it gets crazier still) there is an imported bass in the flight case, in which case the whole lot is duty free. :confused:

I guess the duty on flight cases is to support our local luggage industry.

Interestingly enough, you'll find Warwicks are a lot more competetive in the UK, possibly in some cases even costing less in the UK than in the USA - or so I was told by a friend after he returned from the UK. Must have something to do with Germany and the UK being part of the European Union.

In South Africa, we still get basses at lower cost than in the UK, though.;)
 
#49
GRAHAM JACOBS said:
Interestingly enough, you'll find Warwicks are a lot more competetive in the UK, possibly in some cases even costing less in the UK than in the USA - or so I was told by a friend after he returned from the UK. Must have something to do with Germany and the UK being part of the European Union.
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I was going to say this - in America, a Streamer Stage II 5 string roughly $4000. In England we can get one for about £2000 (maybe less?), so prices are pretty much the same. At least the US isn't getting the good stuff cheap ;) :D
 
#51
Happynoj said:
I was going to say this - in America, a Streamer Stage II 5 string roughly $4000. In England we can get one for about £2000 (maybe less?), so prices are pretty much the same. At least the US isn't getting the good stuff cheap ;) :D
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That same Warwick in Cape Town costs just under R19 000 including VAT, which is the equivalent of about 1250 pounds. I bought my Dirty Blonde BO 4 for R14 500 (it was on a big special though) which would be just under 1 000 pounds. :D

Now if only our other imports could be as competetive! We pay through the nose for general electronic goods, for example.:bawl:
 
#58
GRAHAM JACOBS said:
That same Warwick in Cape Town costs just under R19 000 including VAT, which is the equivalent of about 1250 pounds. I bought my Dirty Blonde BO 4 for R14 500 (it was on a big special though) which would be just under 1 000 pounds. :D
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:eek:

How unfair. My uncle is married to a South African though... maybe next time they go to SA they could bring me back one :)

How much does a Stage I cost over there? And why are they so cheap? :atoz:
 
#59
iamlowsound said:
I hate it when American's complain about gas prices. Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, you have the lowest gas prices. I pay about $4.50 a gallon US for gas here in Canada. That is half of what someone in the UK pays and in other parts of Europe is can close in on $13-15 US a Gallon. You have gas prices easy.

lowsound
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We wouldn't be complaining if we had european-style public transportation or european-style towns and cities where we didn't have to drive a billion miles for just about every little thing. The horrible systems of transportation infrastructure and the sheer scale of things here are what people from other countries don't take into account. And ere we are plagued by ridiculous urban sprawl and irresponsible planning brought about by greedy developers and their cronies in the local governments whose elections they helped finance. I do what I can by driving a tiny car and not driving if I don't have to. But the situation often infuriates me. I really don't enjoy driving, and I resent having to drive for much of the things I have to drive for. Someday I hope to be able to live in a place where I can live my life without needing to drive except when hauling my gear to and from a gig or otherwise transporting an item too large to carry.
 

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