As I was thinking to buy a new guitar I googled here and there until I stumbled on this forum. I see that guitar prices in India are much higher than USA which I didn't know. This surprised me as every electronic good in India costs much more than US, Singapore or any free trade countries. The companies blame the duties for it. Don't we have enough? For example a Sony, Compaq, IBM and Dell laptops cost 50 - 120 % more than the same products in Singapore and they are always the outdated version compared to releases in other countries. Same goes for cars, for example a Merceded Benz S Class in UK is a daughter's or a wife's car for around 40000 GBP (~Rs.40 lacs) while the same costs Rs.75+ lacs in the Indian market. Now comes in guitars. Okay, so what if the prices are more, the income of an Indian is much less than that of UK so the disparity is even more acute. It is as if Indians should have only food, clothing and shelter and don't we deserve decently priced comsumable goods? Are we such a rubbish country? As alpha1 had mentioned in another thread about call center guys slogging for 6-8 hours a week for Rs.10000 while in US he minimum wage of call centre worker is $ 2000 (Rs.100000). And we say India is growing as an IT hub while in fact it is becoming a hub of intellectual and mental slaves... A McKinsey or Google worker who is basic graduate from liberal arts or IT gets paid as much as an IIM+IIT graduate from India and we still talk about how good Indian professionals are. This is so pathetic...
And taxes.. I have read up on finance and yes, the taxes are so designed the ultra rich get away paying lesser taxes than the workers in corporate sector. Engineers and doctors slog to earn money and almost 50 % of their money goes in various taxes while the rich use many entreprenueral tricks to escape them.
LOL It is sad and pathetic but tr00. And I live in India, so you cant crib. The ppl here dont like to listen to cribs regarding their country. But htye are prepared to rot their lives in "slavery".
about the salary bit, you really cant convert by multiplying it by 45(because of the costs incurred living there, taxation also in $'s) ..so you multiply by 10 ( the name of this figure eludes by druken head). BUT for Guitars...war!!!
If you want world-class guitars, effects and accessories, you better have relatives/colleagues/friends in the US.. Even if you are that lucky, you feel the pinch(or rather, a kick in the nuts) when the currency converters mercilessly punch in multiplication factors in excess of 46:cry2:
Well they were wrong. Read the latest budget of last month and make your calculations and see how much docs have to pay in Income Tax + Professional Practice tax
why the hell does melody chocolate costs 1 rupee :annoyed: It should be available for 50 paise or something.
Melody hai chocolatey, Melody hai chocolatey! :RollLol: Hey I have a question: why do Indians pay taxes and not expect anything in return? (Other than more corruption and more loss of public money)
The market for guitar is so very less here and that's another reason why the prices are high. If an importer can sell 1000 pieces a month, he can keep the margin low and make some money in his business. If he sells only 4 to 5 pieces a month, there he has to keep the margin profit of about 100%, otherwise there wont be any point in running his business.
Okay say that for guitars. What abou computers, cars and other consumer goods? Why do they have to be so costly compared to their prices in UK, USA or even another developing country, Thailand?
Coz this is India. Developing nation. Rules of eceonomic dictate that. Besides heavily corrupt administration requires heavy duty n taxation regime in order to keep that country running. (WHY? Coz the most of the money that you pay as tax/duty is wasted and goes to pocket of corrupt officials, and not to any development activities) What is the outcome? High prices.
And the money we pay in taxes, a lot goes to make and amend laws to hide facs and supress the population...look at the Jessica Lal case, the relatives of the politicans were moneyed and used our tax money to escape justice..
