It's nonsense in reality.

The barriers are dropped until it starts effecting tax revenue, then
whatever is effecting revenue has quotas applied to it, but in a stealthy
way obviously.

Example, fuel had become so expensive in the UK that some UK hauliers that
regularly did a Europe run were fitting large fuel tanks to the trucks, this
enabled them to fill up in Europe at sensible prices, run the load back to
the UK, run a load out to Europe and re fill.

Nothing wrong with this in a free trading Europe I hear you say, sure, the
government slapped a maximum size on truck tanks so they had to refuel here,
anything over the "legal" fuel tank size was classed as importing
petrochemicals and duty was levied.....errr that's not what I call level.

Also the free trade between European countries has many exclusions,
generally high taxation items in the UK, ciggies, any form of fuel etc.....

It's not a level playing field and it's really starting to hurt many UK
business.

I'm an importer, I import Marble and limestone from Portugal and Spain, no
limits on what I do thankfully and I can import duty free, but I use a
German haulier as they can transport my goods cheaper than any UK firm, go
figure.

I can't compete on price with marble and stone coming in from the far east,
but the quality difference is so vast anyone that wants a quality product
buys from a European importer like me, so it's not really effecting me that
much.

Now if we actually had a car industry left in this country that produced
quality vehicles, and these vehicles were price competitively, then
Mercedes, BWM and Audi would have a harder time of it and need to reduce
prices, but we don't so they effectively charge whatever they like. (or
whatever they can get people to pay).

But this is all relative to volume, many of these car companies would not
exist with sales in the USA, they couldn't sustain the business, so the
American market is looked at as a whole. They sell more units, so they can
sell them for less and still make a sizeable sum of money at the end of it.

If I get an enquiry for marble and a customer wants 50sq/m then they are
going to pay a whole lot more per sq/m than the contractor that wants to buy
a container full from me, 1000sq/m. Is that fair? well not really actually,
but it's basic supply and demand and a free market economy. So at the end of
the day, as long as make enough money it becomes less important what
percentage of my turnover is profit as long as what's left is the right
amount..

Alan M.

www.atstone.co.uk - of your in the slightest bit curious.