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Binocular prices (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Binastro
- Start date
jan van daalen
Well-known member
Hi B,
The prices are already going down.
Zeiss did it, Swaro has currently done it, Pulsar down with 10%.
Two reasons for it.
Polishing sales volume figures and following the world economics.
When I was young there was 45% purchase tax and we had rationing.
I could not buy a decent camera. These were only available for scientific research or the medical profession.
Later on the top rate of tax in the U.K. was 98%.
In Sweden it was over 100%.
Of course the top earners and the real talent just left the U.K. or Sweden.
I know a friend, not particularly rich, who is going to leave the U.K. because of the new government's policies.
As to Chinese imports, I am not against tariffs as China has been dumping and using other unfair and unequal practices.
Regards,
B.
I could not buy a decent camera. These were only available for scientific research or the medical profession.
Later on the top rate of tax in the U.K. was 98%.
In Sweden it was over 100%.
Of course the top earners and the real talent just left the U.K. or Sweden.
I know a friend, not particularly rich, who is going to leave the U.K. because of the new government's policies.
As to Chinese imports, I am not against tariffs as China has been dumping and using other unfair and unequal practices.
Regards,
B.
has530
Well-known member
This looming situation also had me contemplating if we will see big sales of optics. It also seems likely that such a policy could push a number of US companies that rely on Chinese optics (Vortex, Bushnell, Oberwerk, Athlon etc) out of business as I am not sure their business model could weather a 50% price increase.
tenex
reality-based
Not quite as high. I think the top rate here was around 70% back then, not sure at what income level it kicked in... didn't know anyone like that. This is the sort of issue that really used to matter in politics, before we started to worry instead about which bathroom one can enter.
It makes a dramatic proposal, but the logic of imposing huge tariffs after making ourselves completely dependent on Chinese manufacturing will surely come to seem a bit dubious. Trump's words should seldom be taken at face value. It's not even clear yet which faction in his party will have the upper hand.
Montereyman
Well-known member
Tariffs are one more regressive tax that hits working class families the hardest. People like Trump are not shopping at stores and buying items imported from Asia. It also affects the price of good manufactured in the United States as it did with the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber and aluminum. Boat trailer prices increased by 25% thanks to the Trump tax on aluminum.
China will retaliate with tariffs on American goods including grains and that will kill the farmers who are already hurting from the effects of global warming caused by the fossil fuel companies and the meat industry.
"The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return." - Gore Vidal
China will retaliate with tariffs on American goods including grains and that will kill the farmers who are already hurting from the effects of global warming caused by the fossil fuel companies and the meat industry.
"The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return." - Gore Vidal
edwincjones
Well-known member
big sale or big price rise?
if one is considering an optic from China,
maybe should get it before price rises and/or not available
edj
Well, if 60-100% tariffs get imposed on the PRC (and Mexico) things like the SRBC get significantly more expensive. But with 10-20% threatened for all U.S. imports, higher-end binoculars get more expensive too. If it becomes 60% more expensive to import a SRBC, will buyers considering one get say a Conquest instead? Or will a SRBC start looking more interesting if alphas and sub-alphas are 10% more expensive?
But if the advertisements here are any guide, a lot of folks have probably equipped themselves with good binoculars at very good prices in the last year or so.
@tenex - if this info from Stanford is correct (Federal Income Tax Brackets and Maximum Tax Rates: 1950-1980) top tax rates were between 84.357% (in 1950) and 70% during that period, and in 1960 income of $20,000-24,000 was taxed at 38%. (How is this period of U.S. history remembered, again?)
But if the advertisements here are any guide, a lot of folks have probably equipped themselves with good binoculars at very good prices in the last year or so.
@tenex - if this info from Stanford is correct (Federal Income Tax Brackets and Maximum Tax Rates: 1950-1980) top tax rates were between 84.357% (in 1950) and 70% during that period, and in 1960 income of $20,000-24,000 was taxed at 38%. (How is this period of U.S. history remembered, again?)
jan van daalen
Well-known member
AFAIK the tariffs for goods from China will not hurt the optics prices because the USA has no optics industry to protect.
tenex
reality-based
Which period, there seem to be several here? Binastro is starting with the postwar years (before my time) which were of course quite rosy compared with Britain. The 1960s were still good economically but had political difficulties; cheap imports then came from Japan. Then inflation got bad in the 1970s which is not fondly recalled, and receded again. Regarding taxes, by 1970 your table shows a top rate just over 70% as I thought, but of course many were paying more like 30% which has declined a bit to around 24% today, and in any case everyone knows this so it just gets factored into salaries. But the top rate has declined much more, to 37%, which should be the real issue if people weren't distracted by so many other problems today.
It's increasingly difficult to imagine how any economy can prosper now with escalating levels of warfare, climate disasters, etc.
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In 1969, during a “price spike” the US dollar was 1/42.5 Troy ounce of gold.
Today, the US dollar is 1/2,686 Troy ounce of gold.
Think about that.
The GBP (Pound Sterling) was at one time a real pound of silver, divided into 240 p. (not sure what kind of a pound)
Today one Troy pound of silver costs £291.48 or US $376.32
Fun with numbers.
Today, the US dollar is 1/2,686 Troy ounce of gold.
Think about that.
The GBP (Pound Sterling) was at one time a real pound of silver, divided into 240 p. (not sure what kind of a pound)
Today one Troy pound of silver costs £291.48 or US $376.32
Fun with numbers.
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has530
Well-known member
If it's the latter, "interesting" wouldn't necessarily be the word I would choose!
