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netsmithUK

Import Tax - Stung again!

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Can someone explain this to me?

I can understand we need to pay taxes to keep the country running.

We use the roads, so we pay Road Tax. We use the free hospital services, police and fire services so we pay Income Tax and Value Added Tax on everything we buy. OK I can see that and I'm not complaining.

But what logical reason can the UK government see that, particularly in this global market age, they have the right to charge me extra money for goods that, have already had taxes paid on them in the original country, are second or third hand by the time the get to me and I have already paid the postal services money for. What has the government contributed to this process that they feel they can charge for?

In this particular case I can't believe that it didn't cost them more than the extra £9.73 they added to collect the amount in the first place.

Todays rant over.

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Get the person who sent it to you to wrap it as a present! That way no tax! Also make sure they fill in the correct tax sticker on the item.

I guess the reason is to help keep inflation in the country stable, and all things bought in the counrty have tax paid on them, so imports have to too!

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The 'mark as gift' angle doesn't always work. Legally these are still liable for duty, if cutoms and excise see fit.

Its not really the amount, its the principle. I just find it hard to see how they can justify charging tax on something they have had no hand in making/supplying/supporting etc.

I understand we enjoy a stable economy over here but surely there has got to be a better/fairer way than this?

When you say it out loud it just simply does not make sense.

"If you have anything delivered into the country, we (the government) have the right to charge you extra for it - no matter what it is, what it cost, whether its new or used - even though we have not contributed to it manufacture in any way"

It sounds like the sort of tax you had in medievil times, to line the pockets of unscrupulous kings...

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I'm afraid the government is the government! They can do as they see fit!

The customer officer would have to be a bit of a bar steward to stop a present from old granny tho!! (Even if it is a Terra Crusher from Japan/US)!! [:D]

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I also don't like import taxes but they make sense.

The concept behind them is to pay taxes not in the origin country but the destination where the items is bought, i.e. buyer pays taxes not seller, which is also logical. Since it is an international law not to double tax anything, the seller can get the VAT back if he exports abroad (for EU citizens outside EU, as inside it you don't pay customs). The problem only is that for our used stuff or "cheap" toys the seller has already paid the taxes and doesn't go through the troulbe to get them back, so in the end they are double taxed, with impact also on the price.

Another reason of course is to support local industry, agriculture, sellers etc. by making export goods more expensive which is also acceptable, at least we in EU have a relatively big market for which we don't need to pay customs, imagine Chris if you would live in a non US, EU, Japan, HK, AU country, than you would neet to pay customs for almost all your Tamiya buys [;)]

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I also have noticed that taxes are automatic when the item is insured...

Raoul

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quote:It sounds like the sort of tax you had in medievil times, to line the pockets of unscrupulous kings...
id="quote">id="quote">

Unfortunatley I would say we do live in medievil times...

if you want to buy £5 actual value of petrol for your car you have to give the government £35 for the pleasure...

if you decide to smoke £0.30 worth of tobacco you have to give the government £4.30 for the pleasure... both "green taxes"

and soon if you want to drive into london, even if you live in the centre, you are going to have to pay £5 for the pleasure then £4 an hour to park...

why dont they just wear masks and carry swag bags?

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yeah, topic is drifting a bit from tamiya to a general discussion. You can always continue it on the anything else non rc forum i suppose.

Maybe i'm just sticking my nose in [:I]

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I feel for you Chris, it is a joke.,... on us ![:(]

If it is policy to tax then how come some parcels dont have a charge????? yet others from the same place do ???? do they flip a coin??? i read on the label that gifts under £36 dont have duty added, so i get them marked at $35 as they dont read if its dollars or pounds, yet this still doesnt work and i still get charged aaaaggghhh! [:(!]

I have had lots of conversations with the posty about this and he tried to find out, but didn't have any luck, his only suggestion was it might be the service used to post, but that was his guess.

did you hear? we are going to get air tax soon, if you don't pay it they will stop you from breathing[:0][B)]

Down with goverments, an ameba (wrong spelling?) (single cell organism) could do a better job!!!!!!!

oops sorry[;)] LOL

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