View Full Version : £145 duty free limit
sarahc85
25-10-2007, 02:41
I have seen another thread on here regarding this but now can't find it again.
Just wanted to clarify does this mean that I can only bring back £145 worth of goods IN TOTAL, or I wil only be charged for individual items over £145 in cost?
If you bring back goods totallng more than the total you will be charged tax on the whole amount disregarding the £145. That is my understanding anyway. The experts will be along soon to confirm or tell you otherwise.
Karen
Kazzie, that's my understanding too.
Also you can't 'split' your allowance between yourself and another person. So if one has more than £145 and someone else in the group has less than £145 worth of goods, you can't club the allowance together and call it £290 between two people.
sarahc85
25-10-2007, 02:57
I could eaily spend £145 (and some!)
So all these people that are talking about oming back with bulging suitcases, is is just luck of the drawer that they arent getting caught?
am I right in thinking that if you are caught you only need to pay tax on the entire lot, they dont confiscate your goods?
I'm not talking about bringing back thousand of pounds worth of things but it could be a couple of hundred, 300 max
ShirleyD
25-10-2007, 03:15
They are within their rights to charge you and confiscate the goods, but in practise, as long as you are honest when they ask, they tend to just charge you the tax (I think wayne Rooneys girlfriend was an example of this!)but of course not worth the risk. If you are over, go through the red channel and if you are lucky, they may have more interesting cases to look at!
steph_goodrum
25-10-2007, 03:50
If you bring back smaller items that total more than £145 then you pay vat and duty on the goods above that amount, say for example, you bring back 5 items that cost £40 each , you would only have to pay the taxes on 2 items as 3 x £40 =£120.
If however you bought back one item that cost £160 then you would be charged on the whole £160 not, as you would expect if it was truly an "allowance", £160 - £145.
If oyu buy individual golf clubs that ar eshown priced individually on the receipt then you could deduct the ones that totalled less than £145 but if you bought them at one price for the set then you would have ot pay it on all of them.
Here's the regulations. http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_PROD_010220&propertyType=document
We don't allow illegal things to be posted on the forum so you should always go through the red channel if you have more than your duty free allowance. If you go through the green channel and get caught, you could be arrested!
sarahc85
25-10-2007, 12:21
Sorry might be being a bit dense, but just to clarify. This means I can only bring back £145 worth of clothes within my limit?
BOOO!
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
25-10-2007, 13:09
It's a maximum of £145 of anything, not just clothes.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by sarahc85
Sorry might be being a bit dense, but just to clarify. This means I can only bring back £145 worth of clothes within my limit?
BOOO!
[/quote]
sarahc85
25-10-2007, 13:17
sorry if this appears more than once, im having difficulty replying to this post.
Just to clarify, does this mean that clothes are included in this allowance? As in I can only bring back £145 worth of clothes?!?!?
BOOO!
julieanne
25-10-2007, 13:20
Sadly, it does include clothes [msnsad] [msnsad]
ShirleyD
25-10-2007, 14:11
Ahhhhh, but when you can buy those clothes at 50 to 70% off (and often plus another 10% on top of that) you are actually getting rather a lot for your money :D
steph_goodrum
25-10-2007, 14:23
And $2 to the pound means you get even more for your money.
Parrothead
25-10-2007, 16:55
I have been told that you can now buy your duty free goods and then leave them to be collected at the airport on your return. So no carrying heavy bottles of duty free drinks back & forth.[clap]
Albert the Frog
25-10-2007, 17:57
There was talk in the last but one budget of upping this ridiculously low allowance to £290 so i emailed the C&E but they replied that the current level applies and they have no date yet for the increase.
sarahc85
26-10-2007, 00:15
thanks for your help everyone i really appreciate it. i'm off tomorrow and i really cant wait- got a feeling i wont be sleeping tonight!
I think I might just send some small gifts home by snail mail when I go in July and save some space in the luggage.[msnwink]
John
steph_goodrum
25-03-2008, 10:21
John
If you book another holiday later in the year, after the 1st Dec 2008 the limit is raised to 430 Euros (not sure on exchange rate at present).
florida4sun
25-03-2008, 11:06
You will still pay duty on goods sent through the mail.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by GiZZeRR
I think I might just send some small gifts home by snail mail when I go in July and save some space in the luggage.[msnwink]
John
[/quote]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by florida4sun
You will still pay duty on goods sent through the mail.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by GiZZeRR
I think I might just send some small gifts home by snail mail when I go in July and save some space in the luggage.[msnwink]
John
[/quote]
[/quote]
I've had many items sent from usa and asia in the past and only a small amount (1 in 10) have ever been held at customs with duty to pay. Even those items that did get stopped, I still saved on the UK prices. One in particular I remember well as I still saved over £150 after paying the duty. With savings like that why not[msnwink]