Import tax, an answer to everything except what i wanted to know

[Marcos]

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...230#P363_42217

But how much % is the tax? 10% ??

[Gerschwin]

I think you need to calculate what's owed so there is no set rate

[Flibb]

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsP...yType=document


What you pay varies depending on the type of goods

[Marcos]

So roughly 17.5%?

surprised they havent simply created an online-calculator, cheap b*&%$#ds

[Flibb]

you pay
duty of around 5%, some goods more, sone less.
VAT at 17.5%
possible collection charhe, commonly £10


an example of the oddness of the duty charges is that a 35mm slr camera has 4.9% duty, but a digital SLR has none.

[Kumagoro]

I bought a watch paid 17.5 % Vat and paid more for handling fees.
Parcel force conned me out of £13.50, it said £4 when i read their website.

[Saracen]

So roughly 17.5%?

surprised they havent simply created an online-calculator, cheap b*&%$#ds

There is no simple online calculator because it is not a simple matter. There is a book that defines the commodity codes which determine the relevant rate of tax, and it is several hundred pages long, with literally tens of thousands of codes. For instance, the code (and potentially the rate) that applies to a handbag depends on what it is made of.

Import duty itself varies from 0% on some items, to 70% or more on others, with a large spread in-between, but there are also procedures that apply to small value imports. If you assume 4% import duty on the value of the goods (including shipping, insurance, etc) and than add 17.5% VAT to that figure, you'll be pretty close, though you may also have tp pay a handling fee to the courier for dealing with all this, which can be £10-£15. But, short of getting specific advice from Customs based on the detail of the import, there is no way to be sure what you'll pay until the goods arrive and get assessed ..... or slip through with no charge at all.