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You're saying if we annexed them now. I too am making assumptions, such as if we gave them Statehood many years ago, and were subject to the same investment rules and so on, they would have caught up considerably more, and they would raise more tax revenue than what we dole out. (In effect they would be mooching off themselves, more or less, notwithstanding how regions pay more tax and recieve less welfare) Let's say Australia united with the rest of the south pacific. If we pursued free trade, all of that population would have dynamic productivity increases and reduced transactions costs. I think even without political unification a customs union (which has no external tariff or NTBs) is a good idea. Why is it such a bad idea if free trade is the centrepiece of policy?
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