new VAT rules for imports from 1st jan 2021

[oldhippydude]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55734277

Post-Brexit charges
When the UK was part of the European Union's customs union, goods could move freely between the country and other member states without import taxes being charged.

But Ellie was one of the shoppers caught unaware of the fact that those rules have changed since the UK's official exit.

EU retailers sending packages to the UK now need to fill out customs declaration forms. Shoppers may also have to pay customs or VAT charges, depending on the value of the product and where it came from.

However, these are the responsibility of the customer, not the retailer, who often has no idea of how much the eventual extra cost might be.

They cannot be paid in advance and are levied only when the item reaches the UK.

Anyone in the UK receiving a gift from the EU worth more than £39 may now face a bill for import VAT - with many items charged at 20%.

For goods costing more than £135, customs duties may also apply, which can range from 0% to 25% of the product you're buying if they have not been paid by the sender already.

The extra charges are usually collected by the courier on behalf of the government, with customers asked to pay before they can pick up their package.

Some firms have started charging additional "handling fees" to shoppers to cover costs associated with extra customs checks and paperwork that must be filled out.

Royal Mail, for example, is charging an £8 fee it says "reflects the cost of clearing items through customs and presenting them to Border Force".

Meanwhile, delivery firm DHL says it is charging UK customers 2.5% of the amount paid to clear customs, with a minimum charge of £11.

Mail and freight company TNT is also adding £4.31 on all shipments from the UK to the EU and vice versa. It has said this reflects the increased investment it has had to make in adjusting its systems to cope with Brexit.

 

[andipandi]

Anyone in the UK receiving a gift from the EU worth more than £39 may now face a bill for import VAT - with many items charged at 20%.

For goods costing more than £135, customs duties may also apply, which can range from 0% to 25% of the product you're buying if they have not been paid by the sender already.

It's not really a gift then, unless the gift giver, buys the good online from a UK vendor and sends it to a UK address. And how does one price or value something that might be old, old and perhaps worthless, but nonetheless something someone might still want to gift or someone in the UK might have use for. Effing retarded, most of this brexit bullshit.

Edit: and how do you do the following if you don't own a printer, it's disenfranchisement of the great unwashed, I bet Rees Mogg's loves it though;

• Meanwhile, any parcels or gifts sent from England, Wales or Scotland to the EU must have one of a variety of customs forms stuck to it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/19/brexit-english-revolution-elites-ruling-class

 

[andipandi]

Britons buying from EU websites hit with £100 customs bills, parcel firms demanding payment before delivering items ordered from European websites since Brexit;

British shoppers who bought items from European websites are facing post-Brexit demands of more than £100 in import duties that must be paid before parcel firms will deliver the items.

Despite claims by Boris Johnson that there would be tariff-free trade after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December, consumers who bought items from EU websites are being chased for import duties, VAT and admin fees – which, they say, render the purchase uneconomic.

Lisa Walpole, from Norfolk, has been told she must pay £121 to the parcels firm UPS for a £236 clothes order she made from the Norwegian website Onepiece.com, which specialises in premium jumpsuits. At the time of the order the company had promised free international delivery.
Helen Kara, from Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, faced a UPS demand for £93 after purchasing £292 worth of bed linen from Urbanara.co.uk, which is based in Berlin, a fact she was unaware of when ordering.

Since 1 January, people buying goods from the EU – and vice versa – have faced import charges. The new rules have put thousands of specialist online businesses at risk as consumers on both sides of the Channel balk at having to pay the hefty import fees.

The UK government says European companies supplying goods valued at up to £135 direct to British buyers are supposed to collect VAT at the item’s prevailing rate – in most cases 20% – at the point of purchase. The move was branded “ludicrous” by Assen-based Dutch Bike Bits, which is among the firms that has halted all sales to the UK.

Online marketplaces such as Amazon collect the VAT on the retailer’s behalf and the item from Europe can be sent as before. However, UK consumers who have ordered items direct have been hit by the charges.

In one case the Guardian is aware of, a £35 order for running gear attracted a £20.59 demand by the courier before it could be delivered.

UK-based buyers placing orders of more than £135 with European websites also face having to pay import duties.One of the problems consumers face is working out what duties are due, because the rate depends on the type of goods and their source.

The unexpected bill for Kara’s bed linen order was made up of £19.81 in duty, £61.32 in VAT and an £11.50 collection fee levied by the courier firm. “I had no idea that I was not ordering from a UK company,” she said. “Only when I received the duties demand did I realise that the site was based in Germany. I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known I would face 30% duties on top.”

Walpole was similarly bemused to receive her import bill, particularly as she had checked the Onepiece website which clearly – but wrongly – stated that no custom charges would be applied to UK deliveries.

A mistake by the delivery driver, who was new to the job, meant her onesies were delivered before she had paid the fee. “The next day the usual UPS courier came back to give me an invoice of £121.67 customs charges. I asked if this was because of Brexit and he told me that they had loads of additional paperwork and charges. I felt bad for him when he said couriers such as him were held accountable if they did not collect these charges.”

The paperwork shows UPS invoiced her £81.85 for “import VAT”, £28.32 in duties and the £11.50 admin fee, although in her case Onepiece has since said it will refund the extra charges. “I have no idea whether these sums are correct. By my calculation I appear to have paid 34% VAT, which can’t be right,” she said.

A HMRC spokesperson said: “The value of the import VAT is calculated based on the value of the goods for customs purposes plus any customs duty, therefore it may appear to be higher than 20% of the original sales price.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-eu-websites-face-more-than-100-import-duties
https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ds-snags-in-johnsons-jumbo-tariff-free-brexit

 

[crustyfolker]

DPD tryed to charge me £60 fees for an £16 single duvet cover and 2 pillow cases. I refused to pay and DPD passed it to debt collectors who tryed to add more money. I phoned the Debt collectors explained i had receipts to prove there should be no fees. she tryed to say it does not matter. I said instead of trying it on take me to court where i can prove to the judge no fees where applicable. I then mentioned my mental health and said would you be happy if i was a member of your family with the problems i have she could not answer it and i said you are just a heartless woman. Take me to court instead of trying to add money.
I have heard nothing since. I think there maybe rules for folks with mental health issues that stop companies trying it on. Voda did a similar thing yesterday as they fucked up and hadn't put my Mobile bill on direct debit. I payed that it was £29 and now its on direct debit. I sent an email to the debt company and Voda. They have now added my health conditions to my account. I think it is to stop other employees making a mistake
Back to the new rules. Just avoid EU purchases. avoid fees. Yes you still pay 20% VAT but no import fees. Stop letting courier companys from stealing your moneys. Make the Eu suffer, there are more countries that will lose out but UK won't.
Import fees etc should only apply to business not personal purchases.

 

[andipandi]

Back to the new rules. Just avoid EU purchases. avoid fees

The new rules will surely apply to all overseas purchases, including for instance, China, it's not just EU purchases that are affected?

Paperwork is required for all overseas purchases, courier handling and admin fees will apply, no matter where you buy from - outside of the UK, anything coming through the customs channels?

 

[crustyfolker]

The new rules will surely apply to all overseas purchases, including for instance, China, it's not just EU purchases that are affected?

Paperwork is required for all overseas purchases, courier handling and admin fees will apply, no matter where you buy from - outside of the UK, anything coming through the customs channels?

True, which is why when folks post bargains from China on here i always put my 2 peneth worth, informing buyers they face a 20% VAT fee. I think many think the goods will slip through unnoticed. But i think a few will get a shock. At least this way of collecting VAT can prevent other fees and especially the admin fee from robbing Courier Firms. Time will tell what's happening as i think it maybe a little early to decide as the rules could change especially where EU purchases are concerned. The problem seen by many is how are customs going to police the fees and duties, they do not have the time to check everything coming through, so i guess is things will get through unless its one of the Big Couriers like DPD, ups, etc and they always have gone out their way to create fees so they can get an extra wack from Admin fees.

 

[zouzounaki]

total madness.

 

[JohnnyAce]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business...jv6lWVMssy7bVuUZ8pyOACpk_bxPqC4Tve9cAk4mGktKA

Same for this girl, trying to charge her £58 on her clothes order

 

[andipandi]

total madness.

Not really, at least not where the government is concerned - "You will not get cheaper shit anymore".

 

[zouzounaki]

Not really, at least not where the government is concerned - "You will not get cheaper shit anymore".

i don’t see how pissing off a big chunk of the population will do the government any favours.