50% price cuts for AMD X2's

[bbbl67]

The price war is getting underway now, it's great to be a PC consumer
again, if not a shareholder in these companies. It's in response to
Intel's imminent release of the Core 2 architecture.

"AMD Strikes Back: 50% price cut to dual core"
http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=613657

 

[chrisv]

The price war is getting underway now, it's great to be a PC consumer
again, if not a shareholder in these companies. It's in response to
Intel's imminent release of the Core 2 architecture.

"AMD Strikes Back: 50% price cut to dual core"
http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/itnews.php?tid=613657

A new PC for me in August. 8)

 

[Yousuf Khan]

A new PC for me in August. 8)

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

And anther thing going for those of us in Canada is that we have a sales
tax (which we call the GST) cut coming online just about that time of
year too. It's going to be an extra special time to buy computers for us.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Carlo Razzeto]

A new PC for me in August. 8)

Too bad for me my computer needs exactly the thing not affected by the price
war... Memory... Specifically DDR400 (Got 1.5GB in signle channel, I want a
full 2GB for development and vista beta and DC of course). In fact, DDRI
prices are more likely to increase with AM2. ::sigh::

Carlo

 

[David Ball]

And anther thing going for those of us in Canada is that we have a sales
tax (which we call the GST) cut coming online just about that time of
year too. It's going to be an extra special time to buy computers for us.

Yousuf Khan

Is that cut just for a few days? We have something similar in many US
states, where they specify a few days in August to be a sales tax
holiday so the "back to school" crowd can get their stuff without
paying sales tax. It varies state by state though, since sales tax is
paid to the state and local governments and not the national
government.

The rules for what's taxable vary by state as well. For example, in
some states, food items aren't taxable.

I worked in retail automation for many years and calculating sales tax
is a nightmare. There are options for counties and cities to collect
sales tax as well, and they can use different calculations and
different (often weird) rounding for each of those. It's a mess to
calculate and some states allow the tax to be based on where you live
in the state (provided it's the same state), not where the store is
located. Mostly that's ignored unless you get a big ticket item and
live in a place within the state that has a much lower tax rate. And
this is just if you physically go to the store.

If you order through mail/phone/internet from a store in another state
AND have it delivered to an address in your state, then you might not
be charged sales tax at all, depending on whether the merchant you
ordered from has a physical business presence anywhere in your state,
even though the location in your state never had anything to do with
the order. In the case where they aren't charged sales tax for
something mail/phone/internet ordered from another state, the consumer
is technically supposed to fill out a form and pay sales tax on it
directly to their own state, which rarely happens in reality. Of
course, if you physically visit a store in another state to order or
pickup the item, then you pay the other states tax for that store
location. Sales tax is a mess here in the US.

-- David

 

[krw]

I worked in retail automation for many years and calculating sales tax
is a nightmare. There are options for counties and cities to collect
sales tax as well, and they can use different calculations and
different (often weird) rounding for each of those. It's a mess to
calculate and some states allow the tax to be based on where you live
in the state (provided it's the same state), not where the store is
located. Mostly that's ignored unless you get a big ticket item and
live in a place within the state that has a much lower tax rate. And
this is just if you physically go to the store.

Yes, and some people have an address in one town but reside in
another with a different tax rate.

If you order through mail/phone/internet from a store in another state
AND have it delivered to an address in your state, then you might not
be charged sales tax at all, depending on whether the merchant you
ordered from has a physical business presence anywhere in your state,
even though the location in your state never had anything to do with
the order. In the case where they aren't charged sales tax for
something mail/phone/internet ordered from another state, the consumer
is technically supposed to fill out a form and pay sales tax on it
directly to their own state, which rarely happens in reality. Of
course, if you physically visit a store in another state to order or
pickup the item, then you pay the other states tax for that store
location. Sales tax is a mess here in the US.

Mess indeed, but one I hope is never "fixed".

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Is that cut just for a few days? We have something similar in many US
states, where they specify a few days in August to be a sales tax
holiday so the "back to school" crowd can get their stuff without
paying sales tax. It varies state by state though, since sales tax is
paid to the state and local governments and not the national
government.

No, it's a permanent sales tax cut, part of the new government's
election promise. If they make it through another year, then they
promised another 1% tax cut next year too.

If you order through mail/phone/internet from a store in another state
AND have it delivered to an address in your state, then you might not
be charged sales tax at all, depending on whether the merchant you
ordered from has a physical business presence anywhere in your state,
even though the location in your state never had anything to do with
the order. In the case where they aren't charged sales tax for
something mail/phone/internet ordered from another state, the consumer
is technically supposed to fill out a form and pay sales tax on it
directly to their own state, which rarely happens in reality. Of
course, if you physically visit a store in another state to order or
pickup the item, then you pay the other states tax for that store
location. Sales tax is a mess here in the US.

Oh yeah, that too, but there's another tax loophole that can be
exploited: buy a computer on an Indian reservation. All sales taxes are
exempt. However, I noticed that these stores just jack up the price of
their stuff an equal amount to make better margins in place of paying
the government.

Yousuf Khan

 

[George Macdonald]

No, it's a permanent sales tax cut, part of the new government's
election promise. If they make it through another year, then they
promised another 1% tax cut next year too.

Do they still call it "sales tax" in Canada? If not it sounds suspiciously
like your govt. is girding itself up to go VAT eventually. I know we have
Federal Congressmen who start drooling at the mouth whenever the subject
VAT comes up... dreams of "barrels of pork". While VAT seems simple and
fair at a glance, it is in fact one of the biggest of iniquities ever
conjured up by govt.

I dunno about other states but the way it works in NJ, the vendor only has
to have done business one time to get caught for sales tax; e.g., Gateway
had never had a presence in NJ but following an exhibit at a conference,
all subsequent sales of Gateway products to NJ customers were subject to
sales tax.

 

[krw]

Do they still call it "sales tax" in Canada? If not it sounds suspiciously
like your govt. is girding itself up to go VAT eventually. I know we have
Federal Congressmen who start drooling at the mouth whenever the subject
VAT comes up... dreams of "barrels of pork". While VAT seems simple and
fair at a glance, it is in fact one of the biggest of iniquities ever
conjured up by govt.

How so? The People's Republic of Vermont wanted to put in a "gross
receipts tax" to replace the property tax. Talk about inequitable!

I dunno about other states but the way it works in NJ, the vendor only has
to have done business one time to get caught for sales tax; e.g., Gateway
had never had a presence in NJ but following an exhibit at a conference,
all subsequent sales of Gateway products to NJ customers were subject to
sales tax.

No worry about that here. No business would ever come here on
purpose.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Do they still call it "sales tax" in Canada? If not it sounds suspiciously
like your govt. is girding itself up to go VAT eventually. I know we have
Federal Congressmen who start drooling at the mouth whenever the subject
VAT comes up... dreams of "barrels of pork". While VAT seems simple and
fair at a glance, it is in fact one of the biggest of iniquities ever
conjured up by govt.

They don't call it sales tax at all, that's just what I'm calling it
here for the international audience to understand. We actually call it
the Goods & Services Tax (GST), and it is a VAT by another name.

Yousuf Khan

 

[George Macdonald]

How so? The People's Republic of Vermont wanted to put in a "gross
receipts tax" to replace the property tax. Talk about inequitable!

"Gross receipts tax"? Sounds like VAT by another name... in practice
anyway: a tax on the movement of money... which ends up as taxes on taxes
on taxes. Net result: PORK!

No worry about that here. No business would ever come here on
purpose.

What, the greenies don't try to start greeny businesses?

 

[Keith Williams]

"Gross receipts tax"? Sounds like VAT by another name...

No, with a VAT one only pays tax once, on the "value added" at each
stage of manufacturing or every time ownership the widget is
transferred on the value added by that stage in the pipe
(differecne between price and cost). In practice, it's generally
only collected once during the product cycle and is in reality a
sales tax. The "gross receipts tax" is charged on the total value
*each* time a product changes hands. Think about the difference in
tax charge for the same item made by a horizontal company and a
vertically integrated company.

in practice
anyway: a tax on the movement of money... which ends up as taxes on taxes
on taxes. Net result: PORK!

I don't see how there are taxes on taxes with a true VAT.

What, the greenies don't try to start greeny businesses?

For shame! "Greenie" and "business" never belong in the same
sentence. "Greenie" and "tax", yes. "Business" and "tax" sure,
preferably in that word order.

 

[George Macdonald]

No, with a VAT one only pays tax once, on the "value added" at each
stage of manufacturing or every time ownership the widget is
transferred on the value added by that stage in the pipe
(differecne between price and cost). In practice, it's generally
only collected once during the product cycle and is in reality a
sales tax. The "gross receipts tax" is charged on the total value
*each* time a product changes hands. Think about the difference in
tax charge for the same item made by a horizontal company and a
vertically integrated company.

I'm no expert in the "practice" of VAT in EU but I've seen a bit of it and
I don't think that's how it really works there.

I don't see how there are taxes on taxes with a true VAT.

Trouble is that in many countries with VAT, the govt. imposes all kinds of
other taxes: customs, excise, import, etc.which are considered "value
added". We have the same thng here of course where sales tax gets
calculated on top of federal and state taxes (liquor, tobacco etc.) and
when certain goods get sold on, even at a lower price. At least in NJ we
don't pay sales tax on food or clothing, though I have a feeling it won't
be long before the meddling busybodies are going to be reclassifying
certain err, "foods".

 

[Keith Williams]

I'm no expert in the "practice" of VAT in EU but I've seen a bit of it and
I don't think that's how it really works there.

That's my understanding, anyway.

Trouble is that in many countries with VAT, the govt. imposes all kinds of
other taxes: customs, excise, import, etc.which are considered "value
added".

Yes, and importer essentially pays the VAT on the entire import
value, since its value hasn't been taxed before. Likewise an
exporter may be forgiven the VAT because it's not being consumed
"here". It's assumed that it will be taxed elsewhere. This does
give some preference to exports, which is not a bad thing.

We have the same thng here of course where sales tax gets
calculated on top of federal and state taxes (liquor, tobacco etc.) and
when certain goods get sold on, even at a lower price.

Sorta. The "sales tax" is "paid" bay the consumer (though
collected by the merchant). The liquor tax is paid by the
merchant, so it's "not" a double tax. ;-)

At least in NJ we don't pay sales tax on food or clothing, though
I have a feeling it won't be long before the meddling busybodies are
going to be reclassifying certain err, "foods".

Vermont no longer taxes clothing below $100. I once tried to by
one shoe at a time, but it didn't work. ;-) Food is really screwy.
Buy one bagel and it's taxed (prepared food); buy six and they're
not (unprepared food). It's known as the "bagel tax".

AFAICT, a VAT tax is more fair (though very similar to) a sales tax
and a *WHOLE* lot more fair than an income tax, at least as we know
it.

 

[George Macdonald]

That's my understanding, anyway.

Trouble is that every "service" along the way to getting to you, shipping
agents, shippers, storage, etc., adds VAT, which naturally gets added to
the "cost" which gets VAT added at the end retail point. VAT is just a
umm, euphemism for "stick 'em up".

Yes, and importer essentially pays the VAT on the entire import
value, since its value hasn't been taxed before. Likewise an
exporter may be forgiven the VAT because it's not being consumed
"here". It's assumed that it will be taxed elsewhere. This does
give some preference to exports, which is not a bad thing.


Sorta. The "sales tax" is "paid" bay the consumer (though
collected by the merchant). The liquor tax is paid by the
merchant, so it's "not" a double tax. ;-)

In NJ the sales tax on liquor and tobacco is calculated based on a
percentage of (price+sin tax) - yup it's double taxation.:-(

Vermont no longer taxes clothing below $100. I once tried to by
one shoe at a time, but it didn't work. ;-) Food is really screwy.
Buy one bagel and it's taxed (prepared food); buy six and they're
not (unprepared food). It's known as the "bagel tax".

AFAICT, a VAT tax is more fair (though very similar to) a sales tax
and a *WHOLE* lot more fair than an income tax, at least as we know
it.

Fair? The unfairest thing of all is the way they piss it all down the
drain... the money never gets used for what it should and "essential
services" budgets seem to always be getting cut to the bone. Every
politician who gets elected with a fractional % majority, thinks he now has
a mandate for every crackpot idea he ever had.

 

[NilEinne]

AFAICT, a VAT tax is more fair (though very similar to) a sales tax
and a *WHOLE* lot more fair than an income tax, at least as we know
it.

I believe the primary advantage with a VAT or GST is not that it's
fairer but that it's much much simpler (for the gov but especially for
retailers) then a sales tax, especially when implemented properly. From
what I've read, sales taxes can be extremely tricky and confusin. A
good GST (or VAT) is very simple in comparison. The NZ is one of the
best in implementation IMHO. There are very few exemptions and no
special rates for luxuries and the like. This prevents all the silly
stuff that happens in the EU where they argue whether something is a
cake or biscuit and etc which defeats the purpose of the GST in the
first place.

N.B. Obviously exporters don't have to pay GST

 

[krw]

Trouble is that every "service" along the way to getting to you, shipping
agents, shippers, storage, etc., adds VAT, which naturally gets added to
the "cost" which gets VAT added at the end retail point. VAT is just a
umm, euphemism for "stick 'em up".

No, the fact is that it's collected at the end, just like a sales
tax. ...and of course forgiven (all the way back to dust) on
exports. In reality, GSTs, sales_tax, and VATs are all the same as
far as the consumer is concerned. It's a tax on consuming. I'm
not sure I like the idea, but I *know* I don't like the present
system. Kill the lawyers and all that. ...not to mention the IRS.

In NJ the sales tax on liquor and tobacco is calculated based on a
percentage of (price+sin tax) - yup it's double taxation.:-(

No, it isn't, at least legally. *You* pay sales tax, the sin_tax
is paid by the merchant. Of course it's all collected and remitted
by the purveyor of the "sin", so...

"Legal" and "moral" don't often get together.

Fair? The unfairest thing of all is the way they piss it all down the
drain...

Come on! As soon as the electorate figured out that they could get
"something for nothing" the whole thing screwed down into the
floor. ...one reason I'm thinking a VAT wouldn't be so bad. ...at
least *EVERYONE* pays.

the money never gets used for what it should and "essential
services" budgets seem to always be getting cut to the bone.

Your "essential services" may not be so essential to me. If I'm
paying...

Every politician who gets elected with a fractional % majority, thinks he now has
a mandate for every crackpot idea he ever had.

Read what you wrote above, and reconsider. Frankly, we're *moving*
and soon. I can no longer afford it in the PRoV, and no longer
want to try. So help the locals.

 

[krw]

I believe the primary advantage with a VAT or GST is not that it's
fairer but that it's much much simpler (for the gov but especially for
retailers) then a sales tax, especially when implemented properly.

There really isn't much difference between the form of taxes. Teh
implementation of any can be really skewed, depending on ho pink
the politicians are.

From what I've read, sales taxes can be extremely tricky and confusin.

Only when bent to try to meet some "liberal" goal. Yes, it's a
problem, but it wouldn't change under any other form of taxation.

A good GST (or VAT) is very simple in comparison.

The NZ is one of the
best in implementation IMHO. There are very few exemptions and no
special rates for luxuries and the like. This prevents all the silly
stuff that happens in the EU where they argue whether something is a
cake or biscuit and etc which defeats the purpose of the GST in the
first place.

That works for me, but I'm rather right of Gengis Kahn (not to be
confused with Yousuf .

N.B. Obviously exporters don't have to pay GST

Good plan, but I trust importers do.

 

[George Macdonald]

No, it isn't, at least legally. *You* pay sales tax, the sin_tax
is paid by the merchant. Of course it's all collected and remitted
by the purveyor of the "sin", so...

"Legal" and "moral" don't often get together.

It's about the $$... the money. I dunno how to say it any clearer: if
the sales tax rate is applied to the $$ amount including the sin tax, it's
a double taxation. That's how it works here - there's was a hue & cry
about it at the time; it was also a Republican (NJ style ) Governor who
was behind it.

Come on! As soon as the electorate figured out that they could get
"something for nothing" the whole thing screwed down into the
floor. ...one reason I'm thinking a VAT wouldn't be so bad. ...at
least *EVERYONE* pays.


Your "essential services" may not be so essential to me. If I'm
paying...

You don't care if your vehicle gets wrecked by the condition of the roads?

Read what you wrote above, and reconsider. Frankly, we're *moving*
and soon. I can no longer afford it in the PRoV, and no longer
want to try. So help the locals.

Hey, you could be living someplace much worse... like e.g. my ancestral
home, where the latest thing on the agenda is.... wait for it.......
homosexual sex education, to be added to current sex ed. class in schools.