[OT] Importing low cost items to Europe
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Hi,
This may of interest to Elecraft or anyone sending inexpensive items to the European Union: <http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:085:0001:0002:EN:PDF>. If I understand correctly, starting December 1st, 2008, the limit is being raised from €22 to €150 for tax free imports. vy 73 de toby PS: This is the announcement by the German customs (in German): <http://www.zoll.de/a0_aktuelles/azr_kleinsendungen/index.html> _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Import duties on amateur radio items
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Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU,
as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive eBay sales. 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP [hidden email] _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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I've always written "Amateur (Ham) radio item" on the
customs form. Never had an item questioned. 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP [hidden email] _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Ken Kopp-3
Ken Kopp wrote:
>Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, >as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive eBay >sales. Most are free from import duty, or else it's only a few percent. The killer is the Value Added Tax, which is 17.5% in the UK and even higher in some other EU countries. Unless the item is of small value, or is below the Customs exemptions for incoming travelers, VAT will normally be charged on *all* incoming goods. The worst thing is that both duty and taxes are applied to the bottom line of the invoice, the total including both shipping and insurance! Helpful exporters to the EU will bill for those two service items separately, so that duty and VAT are applied only to the true value of the goods. As far as I'm aware, this is a perfectly legal way to minimize the tax liability. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Ken Kopp-3
The "import duty" is not the problem, but the VAT (somewhat similar to the US sales tax), which is exceedingly high in many European countries.
I wonder if anyone tops the Icelandic VAT, 24.5%, which is added on the total package value: Content price + shipping + insurance. Additionally, I may be charged for the paperwork ($10-20), and to top it all they may occasionally request a permit from the Post and Telegraph Authorities for "radio components". This is what I had to go through when ordering my K2 a couple of months ago. Last week I received a notice from the customs, which had in its custody an envelope with a transistor and five ceramic capacitors from Elecraft, marked with the value of $1. I managed to convince the customs that these were replacement parts and I had already paid for the original kit earlier, but I was lucky this time. 73 - Kristinn, TF3KX
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----- Original Message ----- From: "TF3KX" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:12 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > > The "import duty" is not the problem, but the VAT > (somewhat similar to the US > sales tax), which is exceedingly high in many European > countries. > > I wonder if anyone tops the Icelandic VAT, 24.5%, which is > added on the > total package value: Content price + shipping + > insurance. Additionally, I > may be charged for the paperwork ($10-20), and to top it > all they may > occasionally request a permit from the Post and Telegraph > Authorities for > "radio components". This is what I had to go through when > ordering my K2 a > couple of months ago. Kristinn, Oooooooooh! That's nasty! And they charge VAT on your shipping and insurance too! Very punitive I would say. I guess the U.K. does that too. I can sort of understand including shipping, as it is a cost of acquisiton. Insurance, though, seems like a bit of a stretch. But both seem inequitable if you consider the (fortunate) person who can carry the product in, and avoid the VAT charge for shipping and insurance. On the other hand, taxes are rarely equitable! This raises a question in my mind for you VAT payers. If you pay the VAT, and then discover that your item has been more or less destroyed in shipping, do you get any refund on the VAT? What happens on the replacement item, assuming you get one? Perhaps your comment about the replacement part suggests you wouldn't pay the VAT twice. I know Iceland is expensive, and the economy is fragile to some extent, but I didn't realize it was so harsh on its citizens who are forced to import many things, or go without. However, I know it's a beautiful place with a fascinating history. We did try to go there a few years ago. Unfortunately, our cruise ship ran into a hurricane. We apparently got within about 150 miles of Reykjavik, and the captain had to give up. The props on the ship came out of the water twice! So, missed the chance to make a small contribution to the economy there. Very disappointing. Dave W7AQK _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Ken Kopp-3
Duty free?? Canada?? NO - I ought a K2 on eBay from Canada and it arrived
with a $23 duty COD bill for the import. 73, de Jim KG0KP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:47 AM Subject: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, > as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive > eBay sales. > > 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP > [hidden email] > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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Duty free for amateur product in Canada ... YES. It is not because you
bought something from Canada you will be duty free.... you finally IMPORT something on your side. So you are responsible of the restriction of your country. I ordered a lot of amateur products from the US... and I only thing I pay is standard sale taxes... no other charges (duty)... Canada Post charge me 5$ for handling..... even if it cost 5$ or 1000$. Duty charges is not equal to taxes.... duty free is when you pay only taxes with no other fees.... like all ham radio product that come to Canada.... It is supposed to be the same for Canada to US.... If you use FEDEX or UPS.... they charge a lot only taking your box across the border..... :-((( I always use USPS or Canada Post. 73 Le 08-04-08 à 17:55, Jim Miller a écrit : > Duty free?? Canada?? NO - I ought a K2 on eBay from Canada and it > arrived > with a $23 duty COD bill for the import. > > 73, de Jim KG0KP > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]> > To: <[hidden email]> > Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:47 AM > Subject: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > > >> Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, >> as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive >> eBay sales. >> >> 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP >> [hidden email] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Post to: [hidden email] >> You must be a subscriber to post to the list. >> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm >> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com >> > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com === de Jean-François VA2SS _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Import duties on amateur radio items
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In reply to this post by TF3KX
Quote
This raises a question in my mind for you VAT payers. If you pay the VAT, and then discover that your item has been more or less destroyed in shipping, do you get any refund on the VAT? What happens on the replacement item, assuming you get one? Perhaps your comment about the replacement part suggests you wouldn't pay the VAT twice. Dave W7AQK Dave, Don't forget the postal service's "handling" fee, which is another addition to the UK's 17.5% VAT. Oh, and you'd likelystand a better chance of piking butter up a porcupine's a55 with a red hot shovel than getting a refund from Her Majesty's Customs and Excise! Fortunately, replacement components I've needed have had a shipped value below the VAT threshold, so they've come through unchallenged. HMC&E are a law unto themselves and once rendered one (constructed) piece of equipment I imported into a kit, having even dismantled and destroyed some of the components. Complaints in all directions including my MP received approximately the same response: Tough! I just hope there's never a need to return a K3 module to Elecraft for repair as that could well prove interesting. In theory, VAT would be chargeable on the repair cost, return shipping and insurance as that's the service provided, but if they decided to assign their own value to the item, it would probably prove impossible to change their assessment. 73 DaveL G3TJP _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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In reply to this post by hf4me
I had hoped when NAFTA happened that it would eliminate duties
between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. (nope, it doesn't that way). Since the K2 originally came (as a kit, at least) from the U.S. there may be an exception, but getting it may be another matter. Bob, N7XY On Apr 8, 2008, at 2:55 PM, Jim Miller wrote: > Duty free?? Canada?? NO - I ought a K2 on eBay from Canada and it > arrived > with a $23 duty COD bill for the import. > > 73, de Jim KG0KP > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]> > To: <[hidden email]> > Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:47 AM > Subject: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > > >> Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, >> as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive >> eBay sales. >> >> 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP >> [hidden email] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Post to: [hidden email] >> You must be a subscriber to post to the list. >> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm >> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com >> > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > Bob Nielsen [hidden email] _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Import duties on amateur radio items
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In reply to this post by hf4me
Hi Jim:
You should NOT have had to pay any duty to import that K2 into the USA as the origin of manufacture is actually US made. In the past, I have sold some collins gear, etc to US ham and there was NOT import tax payable to get into the USA. You should apply to your US Customs for a refund. 73 from Fern ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Miller" <[hidden email]> To: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]>; <[hidden email]> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 3:55 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items Duty free?? Canada?? NO - I ought a K2 on eBay from Canada and it arrived with a $23 duty COD bill for the import. 73, de Jim KG0KP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:47 AM Subject: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, > as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through extensive > eBay sales. > > 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP > [hidden email] > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.22.8/1363 - Release Date: 4/7/2008 8:56 AM _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Bob Nielsen-2
I would suggest contacting U.S. Customs and getting the correct tarrif number. Amateur gear, particularly U.S. manufactured goods is 100% duty free under NAFTA (inbound to Canada).
Kirb - VE6IV -- ----- Original Message ----- From: Bob Nielsen <[hidden email]> Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2008 4:19 pm Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items To: elecraft List <[hidden email]> > I had hoped when NAFTA happened that it would eliminate > duties > between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. (nope, it doesn't that way). > > Since the K2 originally came (as a kit, at least) from the U.S. > there > may be an exception, but getting it may be another matter. > > Bob, N7XY > > On Apr 8, 2008, at 2:55 PM, Jim Miller wrote: > > Duty free?? Canada?? NO - I ought a K2 on eBay > from Canada and it > > arrived > > with a $23 duty COD bill for the import. > > > > 73, de Jim KG0KP > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ken Kopp" <[hidden email]> > > To: <[hidden email]> > > Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 10:47 AM > > Subject: [Elecraft] Import duties on amateur radio items > > > > > >> Aren't amateur radio related items duty-free in the UK and EU, > >> as they are in Canada? I became aware of this through > extensive>> eBay sales. > >> > >> 73! Ken Kopp - K0PP > >> [hidden email] > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Elecraft mailing list > >> Post to: [hidden email] > >> You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > >> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > >> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > >> > >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > >> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Post to: [hidden email] > > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > > > > Bob Nielsen > [hidden email] > > > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by w7aqk
Hi, Dave - thanks for the compliments on our country. Hope you will be able to make it for a visit some other time...
You are right in that our taxes (the VAT in this case) are tough and they are taken "as far as they can". But to be fair, I believe the system is also reasonable to some extent, in that broken things, things that need to be returned or things that are sent as replacements, will only bear the VAT to the extent of their value. I have not had much experience with broken/returned equipment (fortunately), but I believe that if an item arrives non-functional and needs to be returned I will get the VAT refunded, or the VAT will be retained by the customs and I will then not pay the VAT again on the replacement when it arrives. In the case of the transistor and missing capacitor from Elecraft I could convince them up front that this was simply a part of the original K2 purchase and had been missing/defect there, and thus I did not have to make any additional payments. But my point is that a small envelope that has a sticker with $1 designation for the content would not automatically be sent to my home address. Instead it was about to go through the routine process with all its paperwork and expenses - in other words, there is no minimum here below which small shipments are simply exempt. Well - I guess this is getting a bit off tangent for the Elecraft reflector... 73 - Kristinn, TF3KX
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In reply to this post by hf4me
Hi Jim,
according to the international agreements surrounding the WTO and globalization process, amateur radio equipment is duty free. You may however, depending on where you are, have to pay the equivalent of sales taxes or VAT. Also sometimes the carrier will add charges for the service of dealing with customs for you If I were you, I would check with US customs and/or USPS (UPS, FedEx or whomever did the shipping) what the $23 were for and if the duty was charged in error. It is always important that the sender fills out the declaration papers correctly. vy 73 de toby _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by DaveL G3TJP
David Lankshear wrote:
> >I just hope there's never a need to return a K3 module to Elecraft for >repair as that could well prove interesting. In theory, VAT would be >chargeable on the repair cost, return shipping and insurance as that's >the service provided, That's correct. On the other hand, a repair or replacement made free under warranty would have no VAT chargeable, except for any return shipping and insurance. It all depends on what the bottom line of the bill says. If VAT was paid when the item was originally imported, no more VAT will be charged if the item is taken out of the EU and re-imported (eg if a K* is taken on a DXpedition). However, you may be challenged to prove that VAT has been paid - so do make sure to keep the shipper's waybill, and carry a copy as evidence. > but if they decided to assign their own value to the item, it would >probably prove impossible to change their assessment. > Only if you couldn't prove what the true value is. All the above is based on experience - and in similar experience, US Customs are even worse. When Tom's Tubes was my distributor for amplifier control boards, our name for US Customs at Tampa, FL was "Pirates of Caribbean"! Taking up Kristinn's final comment, I don't think this is off-topic. It represents hundreds of dollars to Elecraft customers in Europe, and I hope that Elecraft will explore every legal means to minimize this tax burden. -- 73 from Ian GM3SEK http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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In reply to this post by TF3KX
Sweden has the same system as Iceland however we
have 25 percent TAX instead. Iceland is not on top of the list!!! Jim SM2EKM -------------------- TF3KX wrote: > The "import duty" is not the problem, but the VAT (somewhat similar to the US > sales tax), which is exceedingly high in many European countries. > > I wonder if anyone tops the Icelandic VAT, 24.5%, which is added on the > total package value: Content price + shipping + insurance. Additionally, I > may be charged for the paperwork ($10-20), and to top it all they may > occasionally request a permit from the Post and Telegraph Authorities for > "radio components". This is what I had to go through when ordering my K2 a > couple of months ago. > > Last week I received a notice from the customs, which had in its custody an > envelope with a transistor and five ceramic capacitors from Elecraft, marked > with the value of $1. I managed to convince the customs that these were > replacement parts and I had already paid for the original kit earlier, but I > was lucky this time. > > 73 - Kristinn, TF3KX > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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In reply to this post by gm3sek
Ian White GM3SEK wrote:
> Most are free from import duty, or else it's only a few percent. The And it is waived if the total duty is less than GBP 7, even if the shipment value exceeds the allowance. > killer is the Value Added Tax, which is 17.5% in the UK and even higher > in some other EU countries. Unless the item is of small value, or is > below the Customs exemptions for incoming travelers, VAT will normally > be charged on *all* incoming goods. The other killer is the GBP 8 handling charge by the Post Office for doing the customs processing on items that exceed the allowance. Together, these mean that orders over GBP 18 (hopefully more like GBP 100 at the end of the year, but the necessary Statutory Instruments don't yet exist) are very unattractive, particularly ones just over, where the GBP 8 is significant. The other thing that Elecraft need to consider is formalising their shipping rates for low value orders. If one actually looks at the official rates and considers a small project item, shipping is comparable than the cost of the item. However, I suspect, that in practice, they may be prepared to use postal packets for such items. > > The worst thing is that both duty and taxes are applied to the bottom > line of the invoice, the total including both shipping and insurance! > Helpful exporters to the EU will bill for those two service items > separately, so that duty and VAT are applied only to the true value of > the goods. As far as I'm aware, this is a perfectly legal way to > minimize the tax liability. I am pretty sure that that is illegal tax evasion, if they only include the goods value on the declaration. The Revenue and Customs document that explains the current rules for postal shipments makes it very clear, and cites source legislation, that duty and VAT are based on the bottom line price, including shipping and insurance. Shipping and insurance is not counted for gifts sent directly from one individual to another, and the limit is GBP 36, rather than GBP 18, but that is not relevant for a company. -- David Woolley "The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio" List Guidelines <http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm> _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: [Bulk] Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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I can't address this for the EU, but when importing into Canada, the
Government only charges taxes on the value of the goods, not the shipping and handling. If the invoice does not clearly show the breakdown of the price then the government will charge on the total value. That is why it is important for exporters to clearly show on the invoice the price of the goods, and the price of shipping and handling as separate line items. The last invoice I have from Elecraft shows that they do this correctly. Even though there is no duty on amateur radio equipment into Canada, there are still charges to pay: 1) Sales taxes. The Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) at 5% plus any provincial sales taxes that are applicable. 2) Brokerage fees. If the package comes across the border via a courier such as UPS or Fedex, then they will charge a brokerage fee for importing the item. This can be substantial at times. Some couriers have a rate category that includes the brokerage fees. Another common practice by the couriers is to deliver the package and then bill later for the brokerage fees. A few times I thought I had gotten away with no fees, only to get a big bill in the mail a month later. A package that comes across via the postal system is only charged a flat $5 fee. That is why I now will only us the postal system for imports. Darrell VA7TO On Wednesday 09 April 2008 00:21, David Woolley (E.L) wrote: > > The worst thing is that both duty and taxes are applied to the bottom > > line of the invoice, the total including both shipping and insurance! > > Helpful exporters to the EU will bill for those two service items > > separately, so that duty and VAT are applied only to the true value of > > the goods. As far as I'm aware, this is a perfectly legal way to > > minimize the tax liability. > > I am pretty sure that that is illegal tax evasion, if they only include > the goods value on the declaration. The Revenue and Customs document > that explains the current rules for postal shipments makes it very > clear, and cites source legislation, that duty and VAT are based on the > bottom line price, including shipping and insurance. > -- Darrell Bellerive Amateur Radio Stations VA7TO and VE7CLA Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: [Bulk] Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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Darrell Bellerive wrote:
> I can't address this for the EU, but when importing into Canada, the > Government only charges taxes on the value of the goods, not the shipping and > handling. How do they cope with the common EBay tactic of putting the markup on the shipping cost to make the price of the goods look low? For that sort of reason, the UK tactic of considering shipping for commercial transactions, and ignoring it for gifts, makes sense. -- David Woolley "The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio" List Guidelines <http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm> _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: [Bulk] Re: [Bulk] Re: Import duties on amateur radio items
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On Friday 11 April 2008 00:31, David Woolley (E.L) wrote:
> Darrell Bellerive wrote: > > I can't address this for the EU, but when importing into Canada, the > > Government only charges taxes on the value of the goods, not the shipping > > and handling. > > How do they cope with the common EBay tactic of putting the markup on > the shipping cost to make the price of the goods look low? For that > sort of reason, the UK tactic of considering shipping for commercial > transactions, and ignoring it for gifts, makes sense. They don't. They go by the invoice pricing. If it shows the shipping and handling as separate line items, they subtract that from the total. Now if you purposefully have the seller alter the invoice to show a lower price for the item, and I higher price for shipping, then you would be breaking the law. I suspect though if the high shipping and handling charges on some eBay auctions becomes a big problem and the government feels that they are losing revenue, then they may change the law. -- Darrell Bellerive Amateur Radio Stations VA7TO and VE7CLA Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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