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  • 2tapry@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    Just a quote I found of interest this morning from ABC Australia:

    “Other countries, including Australia, take GST off fruit and vegetables. In fact, most countries that have a form of GST have carve-outs for certain items, and if anything, New Zealand is currently an outlier.”

    Not what the various pundits will have you believe. I remember when the change came through in Aus. (I was there), there was a lot of bluff and bluster, but it turned out not to be nearly as difficult in the end.

    • eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz
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      1 year ago

      Yeah it’s weird how they keep going on about our great simple GST system, when multiple large countries have implemented it without too many issues.

      Another sentiment I’ve seen is “Wealthy people buy fruits and veg too!!!” So what? Why can’t we just help everyone? Everyone should be eating more fruits and vegetables. If it leads to healthier varied diets for everyone, it’s a net benefit as a whole to us.

      • liv@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        Wealthy people spend a much smaller percentage of their income on fruits and vegetables anyway. This is why GST is effectively a tax that hits the poor much harder.

        • eagleeyedtiger@lemmy.nz
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          1 year ago

          I agree. I meant it was being used as argument that it didn’t only help the less fortunate and therefore not a good idea.

          In country that’s got a struggling healthcare system, improving everyone’s health with cheaper access to a healthy diet is a good thing.

          • liv@beehaw.org
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            1 year ago

            I agree with you too!

            Sorry about the confusion. I was arguing against “that it didn’t only help the less fortunate and therefore not a good idea.”

    • Floofah@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I can’t believe that the current pay-terminal system, doesn’t have a GST include/not included option select for every item.

      This type of system has been working smoothly in Europe fpr 25 years. Technically it’s not a problem.