In defense of tourists

[sesamosinsal]

The problem is that this is a hard country to break into - by and large, we are an insular, closed society, concentrated on family and lifelong friends and not open to foreigners. Hopefully, some day that will change.

I would argue that every country is this way. In the United States, look no further than a Tea Party rally. "We want our country back!" .. hmm, from who? Black people? Latinos?

In Argentina, it's those thieves from Peru and those lazy people from Bolivia. In Brazil, it's much of the same deal, except an Argentine is on the same level as a Bolivian.

In the United States, all Latinos are sucking all of our tax dollars and eating chalupas on their porches. All of the Europeans are a bunch of "socialist communists" (in the U.S., there is no distinction between socialism and communism).

I doubt there is any country that is "open" to foreigners. The whole concept of nationality/borders is a manifestation of this.

 

[SaraSara]

Tea-party nuts aside, the US is more open to newcomers.

Americans move around a lot, and are used to making new friends whenever they move. They join clubs, get involved in community projects, PTAs, etcetera, and are more open towards new people.

Argentines are much more likely to stay put, in the same city, often in the same neighborhood, and even in the same house, passed from one generation to the next. They have large families, dozens of cousins, and dozens of old friends going back to elementary school. So, their social lives are full and they are not too interested in making new friends. A pity, in my opinion, but that's what I see all around.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I'd be stunned if perma-tourists didn't contribute more to the economy than they took out. Most people are injecting dollars, euros or other hard currencies directly into the economy.

I'd be stunned if they did. If it came even remotely close, all governments all over the world would be clamouring to run tax-free regimes.

Even if the permatourists aren't eating Cristina's subsidised herring, they are cooking over subsidised gas under subsidised electric light. They shit down sewers that someone else paid for that run under roads that someone else paid for along and around and under which runs a subsidised public transport system that they also rely on. Some of them even complain when they can't get the subsidised air fares. Please don't tell me that spending some dollars and paying a little bit of IVA here and there comes anywhere close to what it costs.

And that's without even considering the schools and the hospitals and the police - and yes, the civil service and the army and the government too. All the things that make a society. Back home in wherever it is the permatourist comes from there's no option on the tax return form to strike out military spending because you don't like the war in Afghanistan or school spending because you don't have kids. To come from a comparatively prosperous nation where you have to pay your dues and lurk in a comparatively poor nation and avoid them strikes me as singularly mean.

 

[ssr]

I'd be stunned if they did. If it came even remotely close, all governments all over the world would be clamouring to run tax-free regimes.

Even if the permatourists aren't eating Cristina's subsidised herring, they are cooking over subsidised gas under subsidised electric light. They shit down sewers that someone else paid for that run under roads that someone else paid for along and around and under which runs a subsidised public transport system that they also rely on. Some of them even complain when they can't get the subsidised air fares. Please don't tell me that spending some dollars and paying a little bit of IVA here and there comes anywhere close to what it costs.

And that's without even considering the schools and the hospitals and the police - and yes, the civil service and the army and the government too. All the things that make a society. Back home in wherever it is the permatourist comes from there's no option on the tax return form to strike out military spending because you don't like the war in Afghanistan or school spending because you don't have kids. To come from a comparatively prosperous nation where you have to pay your dues and lurk in a comparatively poor nation and avoid them strikes me as singularly mean.

Oh, man, so silly.

 

[IFMGA]

The only difference I see is the job taking part, talking about en blanco jobs of course. I have met many perma tourists that are flat broke and live worse than locals piled up in a studio with 5 or 6 others. Not all perma tourists have enough to support themselves. How do pt pay into the system? Last time I checked they do not pay taxes, except for vat on food, etc, which is the same any illegal immigrant would pay anyway, what am I missing?

As I said, that's a good point.

BUT: although it is true that SOME Argentines don't pay taxes, NO perma-tourist pays them.

It is well and good to say "more power to them" about those Args. evading taxes. But someone has to support the municipal hospitals, many of them so strapped for cash that doctors and nurses must pay for supplies out of their own pockets.

Yet, no perma-tourist is turned away. And we all pay for the services they receive for free.

Illegal immigrants pay no taxes and get free medical treatment at hospitals paid for by legal residents. That is bound to annoy tax-paying suckers like myself.

The above posts by sarasara and nikad are statements typical by racist Argentines that don't think or know the facts of perma-tourists, tourists or immigrants. Here in Argentina it is the Argentines that uses and abuse the system. The Perma-tourists have their own insurance at private hospitals and the tourists have travel insurance, and they certainly don't put their kids in public schools. They also inject Massive amounts of pesos into the tax system , in fact much more per capita than the Argentines do. The Illegal immigrants actually cost less for the state per capita than the Argentines do because the illegal immigrants only qualify for free hospitals and schools while the Argentines qualify for all the Argentine welfare. There is so much more but the fact is that the Agentines are the ones guilty of destroying their own economy.

 

[jp]

I'd be stunned if they did. If it came even remotely close, all governments all over the world would be clamouring to run tax-free regimes.

Erm....
Pretty much every government the world over welcomes tourists with open arms.

They inject wealth directly into the economy, place a very low burden on state services, then leave.

You've made a case against illegal immigration and tax evasion, not perma-tourism.

 

[IFMGA]

I'd be stunned if they did. If it came even remotely close, all governments all over the world would be clamouring to run tax-free regimes.

Even if the permatourists aren't eating Cristina's subsidised herring, they are cooking over subsidised gas under subsidised electric light. They shit down sewers that someone else paid for that run under roads that someone else paid for along and around and under which runs a subsidised public transport system that they also rely on. Some of them even complain when they can't get the subsidised air fares. Please don't tell me that spending some dollars and paying a little bit of IVA here and there comes anywhere close to what it costs.

And that's without even considering the schools and the hospitals and the police - and yes, the civil service and the army and the government too. All the things that make a society. Back home in wherever it is the permatourist comes from there's no option on the tax return form to strike out military spending because you don't like the war in Afghanistan or school spending because you don't have kids. To come from a comparatively prosperous nation where you have to pay your dues and lurk in a comparatively poor nation and avoid them strikes me as singularly mean.

Oh, man, so silly.

Not only silly but ignorant stupid and fact less. Now you see why the Argentines are destroying their economy.....

 

[SaraSara]

The above posts by sarasara and nikad are statements typical by racist Argentines that don't think or know the facts of perma-tourists, tourists or immigrants.

If you say so...

 

[IFMGA]

If you say so...

Can i change that to "fruitcake".....?

 

[SaraSara]

Can i change that to "fruitcake".....?

Sorry, no nuts to make a fruticake - you are the only one.