Conference marvin::uk_music

618.0. "Irish Record Prices" by GALVIA::STEPHENS (Not me, baby - the mints) Wed Feb 28 1990 09:45

Does anybody here in Ireland have the lowdown on what exactly the removal of 
excise duty on various mediums of music means. I know that VAT is coming down 
from 25% to 23%, but that's not what I'm referring to.

After this year's budget, the papers said that CD albums would come down to 
something like 11.99 and record albums to 5.99. I don't know what date 
this was supposed to take effect from, however most of the record shops 
in Galway have had singles at 1.50 (hurrah, I can afford them again!), 
12" singles at 2.99 and CDs at 12.99 for a few weeks now. But albums on 
record and tape are still 7.99 to 8.99. 

When I asked in two shops last weekend, one assistant hadn't a clue, and the 
manager of Golden Discs said that excise duty was never levied on records or
tapes at all, so the price wouldn't be changing. Oh, I said, and believed him, 
thinking that the papers had drawn the wrong conclusion. 

But last night on the radio Easons in Dublin were advertising record prices 
down to 5.99 and 6.99, in advance of the date they are supposed to be reduced 
on.

So who's lying? I haven't bought an album in a month, and I'm suffering!

--Patrick--