| In the past I often had to import goods for my business. Usually spare parts for the printing presses that sort of thing, nothing that was going to be sold on. I worked out that you needed to add around 25% of the cost of the goods on for the charges you'd get this end!! Doesn't matter size, value, new or whatever.
The problem here is everything has to go through an agent. You can't just turn up at the docks/airport and take delivery of goods. Now these agents are all private companies and they literally squabble and back stab each other to try and get the job. It's them that take your money.
Now anyone who has had anything shipped I'm sure will agree with me that the actual transport isn't that expensive. It's getting the goods through customs that incur the costs.
Even the Spanish government tries to help the Canary Islands by making our IGIC (VAT) only 5% as opposed to mainland Spain being 17.5%. The government has realised that the majority of our goods have to be shipped here. So that is why our tax is lower to help ofset the transport charges.
But then we have to use these agents, and it's because of these agents that things are so costly in Tenerife. Why Iceland and the like seem expensive, they've had to pay these greedy sods to get the goods through customs. __________________ Men will spend their health getting wealth. Then, gladly pay all they have earned to get health back. |