>What has he avoided to be called a smuggler, some government fee perhaps,
>import duty, export duty, customs duty? To my mind if the plants were not
>stolen, then he has full moral right to market them. He is not taking
>"wealth" out a country, or undermining a local industry, which are the kind
>of concerns normally addressed by anti-smuggling laws. What we are really
>talking about with smuggling is TAX avoidance, and arguably an unfair one at
>that.
Wasn't much if not most smuggling historically done for those very
reasons?
The high 18th cent. English taxes on tea and wine, for example, lead
to very high percentages of the goods being smuggled in, and I would
say that those smugglers were only trying to get around the goverment
fee. :)
Granted, those often were to avoid specific excise taxes on specific
items, and usually only the destination country cared, but still.
Of course, it sounds more like a case of paperwork not being in order,
or else not paying some minor export duty, if there even is one,
certainly not a ring or anything. (assuming that they were not
stipped out of a bog somewhere...)
Sorry, I guess I am just being pedantic today!
ObCP: The raccoons (I think) managed to ravage most of my CPs that I
had outside. I guess I will finally have to break down and come up
with some sort of cover this year. At least most everything was
dormant or had died back, so not as bad as it would have been in
mid-summer.
Andy Walker walker@u.washington.edu
Seattle, WA
USA