[Crazy Dazz]

When you bought an Australian Made Car (Or anything)
The company ideally tried to make a profit and pays company tax.
They paid FBT on the cars provided to staff
They paid payroll tax and land tax to the state government.
Of the money they paid to workers or local suppliers, a big slice of that went to income tax.
What was left over in the pay-packet each week largely went to paying other Australians, paying rent, buying food, paying for utilities. So of that amount, further portions went to government in company tax, income tax, payroll tax, and non-claimable GST.
You also employed Australians, keeping them off the pension and dole, and those Australians in turn employed other Australians.
You also trained Australians and gave them skills.
As was widely acknowledged at the time, the subsidies given for Australian=Built cars was substantially less than the tax earned in return.

When you buy your Thai special, the government gets the GST, and that's it. ANd the only Australian you've employed is the bloke driving it off the ship.

I would also point out that that the Thai government protects and subsidises its industry up the whazoo!

During Covid the govt has apparently recognised the importance of trying to keep the economy ticking over. Apparently losing your job because the Chinese couldn't keep it in their pants is bad.
But lose your job because tight-***** would rather buy cheap Chinese crap, and that's apparently ok.

I'm just lucky I work in Mining. It's a big country and there's plenty we haven't dug up yet.