New Import Duty/VAT Thread. Read Post #1 for Rules

mmille24

rubadub wrote: »

Found the one page on revenue.ie

http://www.revenue.ie/en/customs/leaflets/pn1882.html


It is really going to be at their discretion, a €50 ipad, no hope, €450 -probably might. It would have to be vague enough rules,

this is also from revenue.ie and though it says not applied to imports I expect they would take a similar approach

This wouldn't be shopping though, the items received weren't bought by me and would be given as a gift. Would the same rules be applied regardless? I would think there's a distinction between the two.

rubadub wrote: »

If they didn't then loads of people would be at it.

I have a hard time understanding what constitutes as a suspicious package.

jor el

mmille24 wrote: »

You seem to be equating having a lower valuation on something to lying. You have a pretty liberal use of the word. If you thought a used iPad is valued at 600 dollars, and I think it's valued at 450, I'd be lying?

Why do you keep putting words in my mouth? You've asked what happens if you declare a value of $50 on an iPad, which would clearly be a lie, since an iPad is worth far more than that. If you're getting an iPad as a gift then you cannot declare it as being valued under the €45 limit for gifts. If you knowingly declare a false value, that would be a lie, and more importantly it would be fraud.

Also, it doesn't matter what either of us thinks the value is, if customs chose not to believe you then they will ask you to back up your claimed value, or else they'll re-value it themselves.

mmille24 wrote: »

This wouldn't be shopping though, the items received weren't bought by me and would be given as a gift. Would the same rules be applied regardless? I would think there's a distinction between the two.

Doesn't matter that you didn't buy it. It has value, therefore you pay Value Added Tax. Import duty and VAT applies to any gift over €45. An iPad will definitely qualify for both VAT and excise duty (duty free limit is €150).

mmille24 wrote: »

So if an item looks suspicious they can declare whatever value they want?

mmille24 wrote:

I have a hard time understanding what constitutes as a suspicious package.

They won't declare whatever value they want, they will put a real value on it, probably based on it's retail price. Anything that is given an obviously false declaration will be open to suspicion and re-valuation.

rubadub

0verblood wrote: »

hey guys, do I have to pay any vat or duty on textiles? I want to bring about 20 scarves back in my luggage from Kenya, they're just plain aul scarves.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/rates/decision-detail-01438.jsp

Scarves for adults are normal rate, children are zero.

All the info is usually on revenue.ie you can use the site: syntax on google i.e.

scarves site:revenue.ie

If you are charged is depending on value, all in the first post.

rubadub

mmille24 wrote: »

This wouldn't be shopping though, the items received weren't bought by me and would be given as a gift. Would the same rules be applied regardless? I would think there's a distinction between the two.

As in the first post, the rules are different, a €22 limit vs €45 limit for legitimate gifts.

A lot of this boils down to common sense, if all gifts were totally exempt then people would start labelling everything as gifts.

mmille24 wrote: »

I have a hard time understanding what constitutes as a suspicious package.

The customs men won't, e.g. I would hope trained customs personnel would not need a second opinion as to whether an ipad is really worth €50. I don't think you will find a black & white rule as to what a suspicious valuation is, it is at their discretion really.

nompere

rubadub wrote: »

A lot of this boils down to common sense, if all gifts were totally exempt then people would start labelling everything as gifts.

The customs men won't, e.g. I would hope trained customs personnel would not need a second opinion as to whether an ipad is really worth €50. I don't think you will find a black & white rule as to what a suspicious valuation is, it is at their discretion really.

Just to add a little to what rubadub has said here. Revenue (and Customs are part of Revenue) are rarely bound by what a seller and a purchaser say the value of something is, particularly if they suspect collusion. Throughout tax and customs legislation they are empowered to make their own estimates of value and then the burden of proof of challenging that value rests with the purchaser. In the absence of such proof their estimate will stand and they can and will collect tax or duty. Their collection powers are comprehensive.

Headshot

Just wondering what's the maximum price of a product you can import in

For example I hope to import something that cost 245 Dollars from American so how much import vat will i be paying ?

jor el

First post has all details. There is no ceiling on the value of what you're importing, just on the amount that can be tax free.

SusieQue

So, would I have to pay charges on a bag worth $89 + $35postage = roughly €90..

Thanks in advance,
Susie:)

jor el

Again, post #1 has all the detail.

abmcolour

Hi

Have enjoyed reading through this thread. Only thing missing from my perspective is a little more guidance on "Duty".

I am considering purchasing a camera tripod and tripod head (attaches on top of the tripod to allow fast swivelling of the camera which is itself attached to the top of the head). These will be two separate orders from separate companies. They would cost about EUR 300 and 400 respectively (inclusive of postage). From the thread it is clear there will be 21% VAT charged on the total of (cost + postage + duty). My first question is, how much, if any, would the duty be on a camera tripod and a tripod head? My second question is, would the same duty be applicable to digital cameras?

Maybe some general guidance on the Duty payable on commonly purchased categories of items could be placed in the first entry on this string?

Many thanks in advance for whatever help/guidance you can provide.

RUDOLF289

abmcolour wrote: »

Hi

Have enjoyed reading through this thread. Only thing missing from my perspective is a little more guidance on "Duty".

I am considering purchasing a camera tripod and tripod head (attaches on top of the tripod to allow fast swivelling of the camera which is itself attached to the top of the head). These will be two separate orders from separate companies. They would cost about EUR 300 and 400 respectively (inclusive of postage). From the thread it is clear there will be 21% VAT charged on the total of (cost + postage + duty). My first question is, how much, if any, would the duty be on a camera tripod and a tripod head? My second question is, would the same duty be applicable to digital cameras?

Maybe some general guidance on the Duty payable on commonly purchased categories of items could be placed in the first entry on this string?

Many thanks in advance for whatever help/guidance you can provide.

Hello abmcolour,

Not sure but I think there are various references made to the Taric website or the Customs classification unit in Nenagh.

For your Tripods and accessories have a look at the following link to the taric website ;

http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/measures.jsp?Lang=en&SimDate=20110328&Area=US&Taric=9006910000&LangDescr=en

That will show a rate of duty of 3.7%.

The duty is calculated over the cost of the item plus transport insurance plus transport charges.

VAT is than calculated over the total above plus the duty

The best place to get information, especially if your search of the Taric data base is not giving you any results, is to contact the Customs Classification unit in Nenagh. Details as follows ;

Customs Classification of Goods
All goods imported into or exported from the EU must be classified for Customs purposes. Each separate product is assigned a particular classification code.

These codes may be viewed at:
• Customs & Excise Tariff of Ireland 2008
• http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/tarhome_en.htm

In addition you can contact ;
Classification Unit,
Office of the Revenue Commissioners,
Government Offices,
Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Phone :
• Agricultural Goods: 067-63437
• Textiles: 067-63241
• Chemicals: 067-63240
• Mechanical, Electrical and Other Goods: 067-63469
• Fax: 067 32385
• E-mail : tarclass@revenue.ie
NB : It is at all times the responsibility of the importer or exporter to
ensure that the goods are properly classifified. The Classification Unit
will only give an opinion. This opinion can not be relied upon in case of
disputes or queries from the Customs office at time of importation or
exportation.

For a general overview in relation to importing, exporting, customs etc, have a look at the attached document.

I believe with the information so readily available from Customs and the EU it would be superfluous to set up a separate database in this thread. But maybe the moderators would be better placed to comment.

Feel free to post again if you require any further assistance

Best regards,
Rudolf289

ironmonkey

Hi all,

First of all thanks to everyone esp Jor el for all the assisstance. I'm bringing a watch in from the US from what I can gather from post 1 the taric will be pretty low and i have vat of 22% on the value e700 plus delivery charge prob about e70.

My question can only have an estimate answer but maybe someone in the know will be able to guess better than I - what are the chances of my little box coming in uninterrupted? Naturally i don't want evade or avoid paying my dues to our beloved tax man and will bring this matter to his attention in due course but is everything posted from the states assessed for taxes and charges?

jor el

If it's coming through the post, no, not everything is assessed, only a small portion. With most couriers though, they make the payment based on it's declared value, and it happens on all incoming deliveries.

A high valued item, like €700, is going to get spotted though, as this will probably have special attention written all over it (for insurance reasons).

Grace Stocky Shuffleboard

Grace Stocky Shuffleboard wrote: »

Hi

Hoping somebody can help me with this query:

Can my VAT registered company claim back vat on items bought from play.com under the value of €22?
I Spoke to a play.com rep and they said that all items shipped to Ireland include vat of 21% on the price, so shouldn't I be able to claim that back? Anyone able to shed some light on this?

Cheers

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd give ye an update on this query I had. So I requested a vat receipt from Play.com for all my transactions with themselves since the beginning of my account. After about 2 weeks waiting, I have just received a massive envelope with individual vat receipts for all the goods I have purchased from themselves. Vat is at the Irish rates of 21% and 21.5%.

Cheers.

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

Thanks for the update.

This raises a few questions as hundreds if not thousands of peoples packages from play.com have been and are handled as if they were from outside the EU by Irish customs.

I suspect that play have invoiced you from their european office specifically because you asked the question but that has it's own accountng implications.

Otherwise revenue would not be stopping their packages. For example Amazon fully comply with the Irish authorities and charge VAT on their goods - hence their packages are not levied with VAT etc by customs.

Interesting all the same.

rubadub

Very interesting indeed, what were the products you were buying from them? can you remember where the post markings were from?

As I said earlier in this thread
-plenty of people have been caught for VAT from play. However I do recall a mate getting a sweatshirt which was well over the limit and it appeared to come from the UK, so perhaps play have got a UK based centre in which case they could well be paying Irish VAT if over the 35K limit.

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

I have seen stuff ship from Jersey and Sweden myself.

jor el

Grace Stocky Shuffleboard wrote: »

Vat is at the Irish rates of 21% and 21.5%.

That is very interesting. Is Play.com's VAT registration number included on any of those receipts?

Hi guys just in relation to a few of your'e questions:

Play.com vat reg number is on every receipt, the number is: 823 2388 26

The items I was buying from them were mainly dvds and games.

There were hundreds of items, so I can't quite remember where the post marks were for all of them, but I would say that about 90% came from Jersey.

Any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

martco

being in IT since the early 90's for my troubles I've been an Internet user and purchaser forever. I use all the usual websites when buying items now and again like everyone else, sometimes I use Paypal, sometimes not. many purchases over the years.

Today I had my first ever one of these RIDICULOUS PN 1882 type notices - I bought a lousy secondhand pair of marathon runners on EBAY.com old ones but unfortunately I can't have newer ones as I have orthapedaic issues etc.)
paid by Paypal, USD 45 for the runners, the balance is postage cost

now I'm faced with:
1. VAT and Duty TAX
2. a mandatory fee of €6 to An Post ( another TAX)

these runners will end up being be more expensive than an alternative brandnew pair in this category of useage that unfortunately I cannot buy/use in first place

being self employed I'm sick sore and tired of TAX by any number of new and sneaky routes

I'm thinking/wondering about how this is tracked - I figure I was snared either because:
a) Revenue get statements from Paypal
b) Revenue get statements from EBAY
c) An Post are in cohoots with Revenue

I have however learned a valuable lesson.

I assume Revenue employees will be monitoring this thread - I just wanted to say that I believe that charges like this for secondhand goods are UNFAIR, I think it only happens once and then the person affected looks at alternative ways to obtain goods. I for one will not be making a purchase in this particular route/way ever again and so will not experience this latest sneaky tax ever again.

thanks

jor el

Hmmm, where to start with the amount of inaccuracy in that last post. Pretty much everything you've said is wrong.

martco wrote: »

being self employed I'm sick sore and tired of TAX by any number of new and sneaky routes

Your type of employment is irrelevant to VAT. Everyone pays VAT, whether employed, self employed or unemployed. VAT is nothing new or sneaky. It's been around for a long time, and is applied to just about everything you buy. You should know this by now.

martco wrote: »

now I'm faced with:
1. VAT and Duty TAX

No, just VAT. Duty exemption limit is €150.

martco wrote: »

'm thinking/wondering about how this is tracked - I figure I was snared either because:
a) Revenue get statements from Paypal

No.

martco wrote: »

b) Revenue get statements from EBAY

Also no.

martco wrote: »

c) An Post are in cohoots with Revenue

Again, no. You don't know what you're talking about, so don't post this kind of speculative nonsense.

martco wrote: »

I assume Revenue employees will be monitoring this thread

Again no. Why would they?

martco wrote: »

I just wanted to say that I believe that charges like this for secondhand goods are UNFAIR, I think it only happens once and then the person affected looks at alternative ways to obtain goods.

You're only noticing this because it's applied after you bought the goods. If you bought them from within the EU, then the VAT would already be on the purchase price. You would still have paid it, just that it wouldn't have been a separate charge. Alternative methods, avoiding tax, would be illegal, unless the goods are exempt.

martco wrote: »

I for one will not be making a purchase in this particular route/way ever again and so will not experience this latest sneaky tax ever again.

Latest tax? As a self employed person you should be well aware that VAT has existed since the seventies. It's not a recent introduction, nor is it sneaky.

Any package arriving from outside the EU, and valued over €22, is subject to being inspected and charged for VAT. The value is declared on the package, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the value is. Not everything handled by An Post gets charged, there is simply too large a volume of post to do that. They inspect and charge as much as the customs staff can handle in any day.

If, as you say, you've been buying online for over a decade and this is the first such bill you've ever received, I don't know what you're complaining about. By right, you should have received far more of them by now.

martco

thanks for your kind response.

I wasn't aware of the duty upper limit, thanks for this information, it is not indicated on the letter recieved.

Speculative? Yes I speculate because I don't know. I speculate probably because I feel its VERY unlikely that agencies with common interests do not intercommunitate and coordinate activities. The letter I recieved asks me to forward my Paypal reciept - I quote directly "In order to recieve your letter packet you must send your Paypal reciept by eMail to xxx@revenue.ie" thats specifically Paypal, no other payment method mentioned in the letter. Perhaps this letter was written by an actual person, a civil servant who upon recieving my little box with my pair of secondhand footwear took 30 mins out of his or her afternoon to personally write me a letter with this level of detail, somehow I doubt it but theres my nonsensical speculation. I'll be sure to look up the rules for that but I think I'm permitted to speculate and hopefully there's no VAT on the wordcount.

I disagree with 21% VAT. Just because it exists doesn't make it right or fair.

I guess given the current rules I should remember to buy my items via a EU website in future

jor el

martco wrote: »

The letter I recieved asks me to forward my Paypal reciept - I quote directly "In order to recieve your letter packet you must send your Paypal reciept by eMail to xxx@revenue.ie" thats specifically Paypal, no other payment method mentioned in the letter. Perhaps this letter was written by an actual person, a civil servant who upon recieving my little box with my pair of secondhand footwear took 30 mins out of his or her afternoon to personally write me a letter with this level of detail, somehow I doubt it but theres my nonsensical speculation.

Again with the wildly inaccurate speculation. They open the parcels to check for documentation, and within the parcel they will find the receipt/invoice detail put there by the seller. They are asking for you to verify that this is correct, otherwise they will value them at current Irish retail prices. And yes, someone will have taken the time to write this letter.

martco wrote: »

I guess given the current rules I should remember to buy my items via a EU website in future

Buy within the EU and the VAT will be included in the price, making them more expensive than what you've paid already. You can't avoid VAT, whether you agree with it or not.

If you actually believe that Customs are linked to Paypal and eBay, then off to Conspiracy Theories with you, because what you've said has no basis in fact.

Xx-Mascara-xX

Hi guys, so basically just got bk from Maryland USA at my aunts and while I was in a rush I forgot to carry my backpack from the car when she was dropping me off at the airport and my laptop is in the bag. If I ask her to post the laptop to me, will I get charged vat over something that was bought here in Ireland to begin with?? Should I post her the recipe of the item before she posts it out to me??

AustinByrnes

hello,

i was wondering if anyone could tell me how much customs i will be paying on an item bought on ebay.

i bought an ipad from the states for $572 u.s dollars or 396Euros including postage.

it will be sent by USPS First Class Mail International.

Thanks

Zimmerframe

This as per first post should help

http://www.dutycalculator.com/

jor el

AustinByrnes wrote: »

i was wondering if anyone could tell me how much customs i will be paying on an item bought on ebay.

The idea of this thread is that you can work it out yourself from the information provided in post #1.

AustinByrnes

Thank you for your help. much appreiciated.

TomCo

Hi, I made an order with Zavvi a few weeks ago not knowing they shipped from Guernsey.

Part of the order has arrived with big yellow stickers stating -

"Community goods consigned to or from a part of the customs territory of the Community where the provisions of the Council Directive 77/388/EEC do not apply"

Is this basically a notice informing customs that the item is from outside the EU and to add VAT accordingly? I haven't seen these stickers before.

Part of my order was a pre-order for £54.98 which I'm probably going to cancel at this point.

Fluorescence

Am I right in thinking that something I ordered from the UK is not eligible to be taxed since we're all pals in the EU? No sneaky sneaky fees this time?

Also, my package was sent my Royal Mail and handed over to An Post for delivery in Ireland. Since I'd have to wait til monday to have it delivered, can I just stroll down to the centre myself to collect it or does there need to be an attempted delivery first before I can do that? Tracking number tells me it's in the centre right now