From the UK but want to buy from the US

[Marcos]

I thought you could only send items with a value lower than £18 as 'gift'? And if you've been declaring a lower value then it's fraud, and, as I said previously, the goods won't be insured to their real value. Which will cause you problems if anything happens.

Ok, so what happens when someone sends an expensive gift to a friend/relative?

They have to mark the value down to £18 and it cant be insured?

[myth]

Ok, so what happens when someone sends an expensive gift to a friend/relative?

They have to mark the value down to £18 and it cant be insured?

I never mark a value down! So then what do they do? Takes a guess?

[GAteKeeper]

BTW there is a name for Import tax evasion: Smuggling.

If one type of items is classed as no-tax then it will be covered by another one.

GAteKeeper

[Defiant]

Anyone think the goverment is a bunch of buggers with VAT on this crap. I always thought it was for items that were to be resold in the UK so that they got there money back.

But this stuff is for personal use only, hmmm.


Also is the legitime way to not pay VAT or Tax for items coming in.... can we not talk about that?


I surprised that I have to pay the above if I buy a laptop while visiting the states and use it while im there. Surely I dont have to pay all the above on laptop, no?

[Stoo]

Also is the legitime way to not pay VAT or Tax for items coming in.... can we not talk about that?

Yup, move to the Channel Islands or Monaco..

Just about everything coming into the country is taxable, if something isn't then they change the definitions to make it so.

The £18/40 limit could do with reviewing though, iirc many countries allow quite a lot more to no ill affect.

[Defiant]

So say I have a laptop when I went to the states, it dies and I buy a new while im there. Does this mean that I would be charged tax and vat when I brought it back into the country?

[Oakey]

Like I said, that doesn't really happen does it? I have relatives all over the world and have never sent or received an expensive gift. They tend to usually buy them when visiting or bring them over. The fact 2 or 3 other people have also said "what happens if...." would also indicate most other people don't receive expensive gifts from relatives either

[Stoo]

So say I have a laptop when I went to the states, it dies and I buy a new while im there. Does this mean that I would be charged tax and vat when I brought it back into the country?

You'd have to go through the Red "I have something to declare" channel when you got back into the UK, where you'd then be charged VAT and possibly import duty (although last time I looked laptops appeared to be duty exempt?).

If you went though the Green "I have nothing to declare" channel you'd then be guilty of tax evasion (or something similar - I'm not a lawyer) if they caught you.

[Defiant]

Man this country is crap some times