Re: [APML] IDAS LPS filter

[Philip Perkins <philip@astrocruise.com>]

Maurice,

This is a wee bit off topic, but I'm afraid this is a "what the market will 
bear" scenario.  Mainly to do with the type of government and the taxes 
they impose.  There is a similar story across much of Europe where 
socialist governments prevail.  I was in Denmark recently and was told that 
the rate of income tax is 80%.  This seems crippling to me.  Of course what 
happens is that salaries rise to compensate, which means that market prices 
rise also, and you end up with a country where the cost of living is very 
high.  Very little of the prices you witness has to do with freighting the 
goods - the vast majority is to do with government taxes and local 
retailers hiking the prices to the level that the local market will 
bear.  Importing from US won't help either because your customs people will 
ensure that you don't get it any cheaper (the government will pocket the 
difference).  The only way round it is if you take plenty of spare cash on 
your next trip to the US and you feel especially lucky as you walk through 
customs on your way home :)

--Philip


At 23:15 05/02/02 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Because I live in a very light polluted environment, I'm interested in
>buying an IDAS LPS filter (58mm). The price in Germany (Vehrenberg) is
>459 euros, though at Hutech Astronomical Products this filter is listed
>for 239 US dollars. You pay almost twice as much in Europe. Why is this
>difference so big? The same story goes for Meade and Celestron
>telescopes. A Meade LX90 is listed in the US for 1695 dollars. In the
>Netherlands you pay 3154 euro! Then I haven't even talked about the fuel
>price for my car to drive to my observing site. I believe a liter of gas
>cost somewhere between 30 and 70 (dollar)cents in the US. Currently the
>gas price in the Netherlands is 110 (euro)cents/liter (Shell). Big
>differences for such a tiny planet.
>
>
>Kind regards,
>
>--
>Maurice Toet
>http://www.amateur-sterrenkunde.nl


Philip Perkins - philip@astrocruise.com
Wiltshire UK & Luberon France
Astrocruise - http://www.astrocruise.com


--  APML Archives at <http://astro.umsystem.edu/apml/>  ---
             Unsubscribe at <majordomo@seds.org>