Duty payable on goods via post from abroad

Cazten · 1st August 2007, 00:02

This is part of the notice I received from the British Consulate. Take note if you're sending any ciggies or alcohol to the UK as pressies. There is a link to the web site will all the rest of the details, if you need to read it

UK duty payable on excise goods received via post from abroad

From 19 July 2007, UK excise duty is due on all alcohol and tobacco products sent through the post from abroad, including occasional gifts.

Since 1993, by way of a concession, the UK has not charged excise duty on tobacco and alcohol products sent by post as occasional gifts from an individual in another European Union country. However, following a recent European Court of Justice ruling, we are now obliged to withdraw the concession. It will still be possible to send excise goods from abroad to the UK by post, but UK duty will now be due. The new arrangements also apply to goods sent by post from non-EU countries.

You can find more details on how to pay UK duty on postal importations in 'Public Notice 143: A guide for international post users', on our website www.hmrc.gov.uk, or by ringing the National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000.

There will be no changes to the rules on the amounts of excise goods travellers may bring in their personal baggage, details of which can be found in Notice 1: A Customs guide for travellers entering the UK. Goods posted between addresses in the UK will be unaffected.

robby1234 · 1st August 2007, 18:16

thanks for the info catzen.

this rule has always existed it is just that the e.u. is enforcing it so the uk must now comply.

normally they let it go as the cost of paperwork was more than the tax collected.

this rule now also applies to all goods bought on e-bay from outside the uk for all you e-bayers out there don´t listen when they tell you your goods are tax free(if the sender does not pay it you have to before customs send it on to you).

and also any good you send to other countries.

this is the basis of how it works

if you recieve any goods from outside the uk the sender is supposed to pay the difference in tax say a carton of ciggies cost 20 euros sent from tenerife you would have to pay 40% tax to the tax man(20+8=28 euros) but customs can´t tell me yet if this is before or after being converted to pounds(they said they would e-mail me an answer but i won´t hold my breath).

if you recieve goods from taxable e.u. countries(mainland spain,germany and so on) the sender is supposed to pay the difference in the tax rate(the sale tax in the senders country and the extra for the uk(ciggies again 20+spain tax 5%+ the rest of uk tax 35%=28 euros.

if you send goods from the uk without tax exemption you have to pay the uk tax on the item(s) and the reciever claims the tax back in there own country(or the difference).

mind bending isn´t it.

have fun now.

Cazten · 1st August 2007, 22:10

It seems they've been enforcing it for some years robby.

I send my mum a carton of ciggies years ago. After about 15 months, she, got a "notice" from the UK post office, saying that she had received a "package" from Europe.

When she went to the PO, she found it was the ciggies, and that if she wanted them she would have to pay ?????? can't remember the exact amount, but I believe it was about £50

Obviously, she declined

I wonder where that carton of cigs ended up? 3 guesses

robby1234 · 1st August 2007, 22:32

50 quid dios mio.

must be on drugs in the post office.

you only pay tax on the purchase value thos ciggies must have cost you about 30 pounds (45 euros) veryy dear ciggies them.

you usually get notified by customs not the post office.

you used to be able to get 460 pounds of tax free goods shipped from outside the e.u. but not now.

when you posted them did you post them in the post office here or sling some stamps on them and put them in the box(you may have been short on the postal fee) of course i may be wrong.

50 quid what a liberty.