Hello,

getting off topic, but...

Does anyone know the laws regarding duty/tax free shopping in the UK. e.g. I
was at Dixons in Stanstead airport and the sales person told me that I could
buy anything (e.g. a laptop) tax free even if I was just leaving the country
(to go anywhere, e.g. France) for a few days. Is this the case?

I've searched online but can't really find enough details, other than
cigarette/alchol limits.

John.

"John" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hello,
    > getting off topic, but...
    > Does anyone know the laws regarding duty/tax free shopping in the UK. e.g.
I
    > was at Dixons in Stanstead airport and the sales person told me that I
could
    > buy anything (e.g. a laptop) tax free even if I was just leaving the
country
    > (to go anywhere, e.g. France) for a few days. Is this the case?
    > I've searched online but can't really find enough details, other than
    > cigarette/alchol limits.

Tax free yes, but "duty-free" only applies if you're leaving European Union
countries.

ah, I see. so would I still have to pay something (duty) on return to the
UK, or would the tax-free price include the duty? I didn't realise it was a
separate cost.

confused,
John.



"Mike O'Sullivan" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "John" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Hello,
    > >
    > > getting off topic, but...
    > >
    > > Does anyone know the laws regarding duty/tax free shopping in the UK.
e.g.
    > I
    > > was at Dixons in Stanstead airport and the sales person told me that I
    > could
    > > buy anything (e.g. a laptop) tax free even if I was just leaving the
    > country
    > > (to go anywhere, e.g. France) for a few days. Is this the case?
    > >
    > > I've searched online but can't really find enough details, other than
    > > cigarette/alchol limits.
    > Tax free yes, but "duty-free" only applies if you're leaving European
Union
    > countries.

    > ah, I see. so would I still have to pay something (duty) on return to the
    > UK, or would the tax-free price include the duty? I didn't realise it was
a
    > separate cost.

And I thought you only paid 'duty' on cigarettes, alcohol and perfume. I
didn't realise it applied to other goods. I thought only VAT was applicable
here.

Learn something new every day..

On Sun, 8 Jun 2003 09:01:49 +0100, "Mike O'Sullivan"
wrote:

    >Tax free yes, but "duty-free" only applies if you're leaving European Union
    >countries.
What? Free of VAT even if it's not being exported? How do you work
that out?

"John" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hello,
    > getting off topic, but...
    > Does anyone know the laws regarding duty/tax free shopping in the UK. e.g.
I
    > was at Dixons in Stanstead airport and the sales person told me that I
could
    > buy anything (e.g. a laptop) tax free even if I was just leaving the
country
    > (to go anywhere, e.g. France) for a few days. Is this the case?

The actual term used is 'tax-free price'. In other words, what you pay is
the High Street cost, less the proportion of that cost that goes to the
Exchequer. However, it is a discount price, rather than being actually free
of tax. You still pay VAT and, where applicable, excise duty on the goods
you buy at the airport.

Only people travelling outside the EU can obtain the goods genuinely free of
tax, but they still pay the same amount at the counter. That is why you
still have to produce your boarding card to buy things. The system records
whether you are flying within the EU, in which case the VAT man gets his
cut, or outside, in which case the shop keeps all the money.

Colin Bignell

John wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hello,
    > getting off topic, but...
    > Does anyone know the laws regarding duty/tax free shopping in the UK. e.g.
I
    > was at Dixons in Stanstead airport and the sales person told me that I
could
    > buy anything (e.g. a laptop) tax free even if I was just leaving the
country
    > (to go anywhere, e.g. France) for a few days. Is this the case?
    > I've searched online but can't really find enough details, other than
    > cigarette/alchol limits.
    > John.
This is a con by Dixons - at their airport/ferry/tunnel shops the offer
'tax-free' prices even though the vat still has to be paid by Dixons. In
fact the base price they seem to use seems to be recommended retail. Most
of the stuff they sell is available at high street stores at discounts
considerably larger than 17.5%.

In other words, although the price is tax free, it is still higher than most
high street outlets - don't be taken in - there is no way to buy tax
free/VAT free or duty free if you're departing to an EC destination

    > This is a con by Dixons - at their airport/ferry/tunnel shops the offer
    > 'tax-free' prices even though the vat still has to be paid by Dixons. In
    > fact the base price they seem to use seems to be recommended retail. Most
    > of the stuff they sell is available at high street stores at discounts
    > considerably larger than 17.5%.
    > In other words, although the price is tax free, it is still higher than
most
    > high street outlets - don't be taken in - there is no way to buy tax
    > free/VAT free or duty free if you're departing to an EC destination

So how can they get away with it - why don't Trading Standards step in and
sort out. They're mis-leading people.

"Dudley" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > > This is a con by Dixons - at their airport/ferry/tunnel shops the offer
    > > 'tax-free' prices even though the vat still has to be paid by Dixons.
In
    > > fact the base price they seem to use seems to be recommended retail.
Most
    > > of the stuff they sell is available at high street stores at discounts
    > > considerably larger than 17.5%.
    > >
    > > In other words, although the price is tax free, it is still higher than
    > most
    > > high street outlets - don't be taken in - there is no way to buy tax
    > > free/VAT free or duty free if you're departing to an EC destination
    > >
    > So how can they get away with it - why don't Trading Standards step in and
    > sort out. They're mis-leading people.

No they are not. They use the term 'tax-free price', which is an accurate
description, even if people choose to misread it.

Colin Bignell

Dudley wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > > This is a con by Dixons - at their airport/ferry/tunnel shops the offer
    > > 'tax-free' prices even though the vat still has to be paid by Dixons.
In
    > > fact the base price they seem to use seems to be recommended retail.
Most
    > > of the stuff they sell is available at high street stores at discounts
    > > considerably larger than 17.5%.
    > >
    > > In other words, although the price is tax free, it is still higher than
    > most
    > > high street outlets - don't be taken in - there is no way to buy tax
    > > free/VAT free or duty free if you're departing to an EC destination
    > >
    > So how can they get away with it - why don't Trading Standards step in and
    > sort out. They're mis-leading people.
Not really - they offer a 'VAT free price' and that's what you get - the
fact that you can buy the same good cheaper in the high street is incidental