[GT0132]

Originally Posted by flappist

Next time all you jetseters are over in USA/Europe have a quick talk with a shop worker.

Ask them about their 4 weeks holiday with 17.5% loading, their 9% super, their sickies, their free hospital cover, their workers comp, their penalty rates and all the other the other things that Australian workers take for granted.

Then ask them what would happen if they lost their job, their dole, their government paid retraining, their squillions of other benefits etc.

The price of everything in Australia including importing would be a lot lower if we were all not so grossly overpaid and nannied compared to almost all the rest of the world.

Can understand this being an issue where the cost of the labour input varies between countries.

For example , even after their 17% VAT, eating out at an average Thai restaurant in Bangkok or Phuket is cheap compared to Australia, but that can be rationalised because service staff in Thailand are paid peanuts compared to those in Australia. The business owner in Australia needs to jack up their pricing accordingly to cover this cost and to make a reasonable profit. The Bangkok restauranter doesn't need to charge as much hence it is cheaper to eat out.

Goods that are made in juridisctions where labour is cheap, say China or India, should not see a price variation at the retail level between Australia or the US (except to cover differences in freight, exchange rates and local consumption taxes) as there is no local labour component.

If I can buy a car part direct from the US for the equivalent of AUD $500 to my door , why is it that I must pay $850 to buy that same part locally from an importer who has added no value (including any additional labour) to the finished product?