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Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

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Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#131

Post by linotype »

digital-cygnet wrote: post #128
linotype wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada stopped and denied entry to my wife for a five year old DUI until we coughed up a $250 fee which felt like a bribe. This was ten years ago.

I cannot understand this sentiment. If you commit a crime in a country and don't pay the fine, why would you be surprised if they made you pay the fine next time you crossed the border? Even if it were a parking ticket I wouldn't find Canada's actions here objectionable, and DUI is a lot more serious than that. Unless I've misunderstood the scenario you're describing.

She didn’t commit the DUI in Canada, she did in the US. We were in the country for three days (Victoria) and didn't even have a car, so she couldn’t have recommitted the offense even if she wanted to, which she obviously wouldn’t want to.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#132

Post by overfeed »

linotype wrote: post #113
mc32 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that people overconsume "garbage." Indeed who needs 30 dolls or 30 Lego sets (Yes, I know Legos are not made in China, but never the less it's true). We don't need to revamp home decor every five years. What's wrong with having avocado green bathrooms or wood paneling in basements? Did the Russkies or Chinese communists ever feel like their people's housing needed new decor every few years? I doubt it. We cou…

Some people really like LEGO and collect sets. Why do you consider LEGO garbage?

It's weird seeing people with the attitude "I don't like this - so no one should have it" in a supposedly free country.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#134

Post by quesera »

bpt3 wrote: post #81
jmpman wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels like the US individual tax rates are on the left hand side of the larger curve especially for high earners. It’s especially to the left for estate taxes. If these were corrected to maximize revenue, I doubt we would have these gaps. Didn’t hear Elon proposing that.

The US has the most progressive income tax system in the developed world, and its middle and lower classes are probably the least taxed (due to the combination of the statement above and the lack of a VAT). I'm not sure where this misconception comes from that the upper class of the US would be more highly taxed elsewhere, but it continues to pollute any attempts to have honest discussions about reform.

> I'm not sure where this misconception comes from that the upper class of the US would be more highly taxed elsewhere

In the relevant comparison cases, this does not appear to be a misconception.

I am not an expert in global taxation, and with the caveat that tax rates have many complications ... some quick research suggests the following:

A top-bracket earner from Texas would have a higher tax rate in 55 other countries, e.g. Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe. (I skipped some)

A top-bracket earner from California would have a higher tax rate in 11 other countries: Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Canada (the parts where people live), Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Japan, Portugal, Spain.

(You might argue that "upper class" does not include "earners", which would be a good way to be technically correct but would miss the point.)

Additionally, the capital gains rate is higher in 24 other countries, including most of the obvious ones.

And the top corporate tax rate is higher in 133 other countries.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#135

Post by bpt3 »

quesera wrote: post #134
bpt3 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US has the most progressive income tax system in the developed world, and its middle and lower classes are probably the least taxed (due to the combination of the statement above and the lack of a VAT). I'm not sure where this misconception comes from that the upper class of the US would be more highly taxed elsewhere, but it continues to pollute any attempts to have honest discussions about reform.

> I'm not sure where this misconception comes from that the upper class of the US would be more highly taxed elsewhere In the relevant comparison cases, this does not appear to be a misconception. I am not an expert in global taxation, and with the caveat that tax rates have many complications ... some quick research suggests the following: A top-bracket earner from Texas would have a higher tax rate in 55 other coun…

Yes, most people are thinking about individuals in high income tax states because that's where most high earners live (CA, NY, MD, CT, NJ all come to mind immediately).

So we'll go with your CA example given the site we're on. Only 11 countries have a higher tax rate, and how much higher is it for them vs. how much higher it would be for the median income household in the state?

Also, that CA resident has to pay a 13.3% state capital gains tax, pushing it over 30% (in the best case) in total for high earners, which is higher that the vast majority of developed nations.

Corporate income taxes are a separate beast to some extend, but until recently the US had the second highest rate in the world.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#137

Post by mc32 »

linotype wrote: post #113
mc32 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that people overconsume "garbage." Indeed who needs 30 dolls or 30 Lego sets (Yes, I know Legos are not made in China, but never the less it's true). We don't need to revamp home decor every five years. What's wrong with having avocado green bathrooms or wood paneling in basements? Did the Russkies or Chinese communists ever feel like their people's housing needed new decor every few years? I doubt it. We cou…

Some people really like LEGO and collect sets. Why do you consider LEGO garbage?

I’m not claiming Legos are garbage. In this context I’m claiming we don’t “need” 30 affordable sets per person. If someone wants to collect so be it but it will have a relative cost.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#138

Post by overfeed »

karaterobot wrote: post #91

If it turns out the dip is caused by a lag between the implementation of new tariff rules and the implementation of processes to handle them, and that in a short time traffic to the U.S. goes back to essentially its prior levels, what will that mean to the commenters in this thread? All of the hyper-rational, fact-based people in this thread, I mean. Because that seems like the most likely outcome to me.

Lot's of small businesses dependent on imports are already shutting down. I know dropshippers are unpopular, but the policy flip-flops are affecting more than that. A lot of low-volume, custom-designed niche products[1] have disappeared, and won't come back when the tariff payment mechanisms are implemented

1. e.g. PCBs for vintage computers, and some potential kickstarter projects are now non-viable.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#139

Post by rich_sasha »

Manuel_D wrote: post #95
gsky wrote: post #51

Even tourists like me are afraid to visit america now. So much hatred

For what it's worth, international arrivals are down about 3.8%: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/08/26/have-for... https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/08/26/have-for... A statistically significant drop, but not exactly plummetting.

I can't read the article (paywall) - does the "international arrivals" include Americans travelling overseas, or only non-Americans?

If the latter, then indeed it's not dramatic. But if the former, then the number of contingent trips to the US might have dropped a lot, and is hiding mixed in with regular unaffected traffic of USians.

Re: Postal traffic to US down by over 80% amid tariffs, UN says

#140

Post by yibg »

linotype wrote: post #122
estebank wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Individuals in the US, even if a vast majority, being nice and happy that you visit doesn't stop the possibility of legally being held at a port of entry for any reason, even with a valid visa. This isn't new, although the frequency of this happening and reported has gone up.

Canada stopped and denied entry to my wife for a five year old DUI until we coughed up a $250 fee which felt like a bribe. This was ten years ago.

I don't understand the comparison. Was she at risk of being locked up for days or weeks? People aren't worried about being denied entry. People are worried about having their rights violated.
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