The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeWhite
Date: 2005-01-01 22:42
How will the Free Trade Agreement affect Australians purchasing instruments, accessories, etc. etc. from the US? Does this work in our favour now?
(Sorry, I'm very uneducated in this area!)
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Author: msloss
Date: 2005-01-02 01:33
From what I've read, this is largely about exchange of manufactured goods, agricultural products, and investment that originate with the two parties. For instance, trade barriers to Aussie agricultural products are lowered in the US, and conversely it is easier for hard goods manufactured in the US to be exported to Australia. There are some other areas of coverage including protection of intellectual property and investment across economies.
In direct answer to your question, it would seem to help for those musical goods actually manufactured in the US like Selmer Vincent Bach trumpets, but a lot of our clarinet toys are European or Asian in origin and wouldn't be directly covered. I haven't read the entire agreement, but I suspect these trade deals would shield countries from reimportation to prevent transiting of goods without tariff through 3rd countries (like from France to the US to Australia) to dodge the tax man and the diplomats.
We'll have to wait for the puffery and fluffery to be put into practice and then we'll see what this really means other than iPods for you and Aussie burgers for us.
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2005-01-02 19:33
For what its worth, the US-Mexico FTA has made absolutely no difference in price or availability of either instruments or accessories here in Mexico. Everything is still way overpriced and nothing is available.
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Author: ned
Date: 2005-01-02 20:24
""I haven't read the entire agreement, ""
Neither have I nor, I suspect, has anybody including the politicians.
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